The White House on Thursday announced, in coordination with the European Union and G-7, a new tranche of sanctions against Russian elites, members of the Duma, Russia's assembly, and a number of companies as a consequence for the country's invasion of Ukraine.

The Biden administration also announced that the United States will welcome up to 100,000 refugees from Ukraine amid Russia’s invasion, as well as $1 billion in new humanitarian aid for those impacted by the war.

"Today, the United States is announcing that we are prepared to provide more than $1 billion in new funding towards humanitarian assistance for those affected by Russia’s war in Ukraine and its severe impacts around the world, including a marked rise in food insecurity, over the coming months," the White House wrote in a statement. "This funding will provide food, shelter, clean water, medical supplies and other forms of assistance. We are also announcing an additional $320 million in democracy and human rights funding to Ukraine and its neighbors."

Already, 3.6 million people have fled the country, with another 6.5 million more internally displaced, according to the United Nations, the worst refugee crisis since World War II.

"While we expect many Ukrainians will choose to remain in Europe close to family and their homes in Ukraine, today, the United States is announcing plans to welcome up to 100,000 Ukrainians and others fleeing Russia’s aggression through the full range of legal pathways, including the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program," the White House wrote in a statement.

"In particular, we are working to expand and develop new programs with a focus on welcoming Ukrainians who have family members in the United States," the administration continued. "The United States and the European Union are also coordinating closely to ensure that these efforts, and other forms of humanitarian admission or transfers, are complementary and provide much-needed support to Ukraine’s neighbors."

The White House has been saying for weeks that the U.S. would accept refugees from Ukraine, but officials had expected most would want to remain in Europe to stay close to their homeland or to family members around Eastern Europe.

In terms of sanctions, the White House announced new punishments on more than 400 entities in Russia, including:

• 328 Duma members and sanctioning the Duma as an entity;
• Herman Gref, the head of Russia’s largest financial institution Sberbank and a Putin advisor since the 1990s. 
• Russian elite Gennady Timchenko, his companies and his family members;
• 17 board members of Russian financial institution Sovcombank;
• 48 Large Russian defense state-owned enterprises that are part of Russia’s defense-industrial base and produce weapons that have been used in Russia’s assault against Ukraine’s people, infrastructure, and territory, including Russian Helicopters, Tactical Missiles Corporation, High Precision Systems, NPK Tekhmash OAO, Kronshtadt

"We are targeting, and will continue to target, the suppliers of Russia’s war effort and, in turn, their supply chain," the White House said of targeting Russian defense companies.

At a press conference on Thursday, President Joe Biden said that temporary sanctions will not stop Putin from continuing his siege on Ukraine, but long-term penalties on Russian finances, exports and elites could pressure the country enough.

Biden said a core reason why he traveled to Brussels was to affirm unity among NATO allies and make sure that sanctions can be maintained on Russia.

“The maintenance of sanctions, increasing the pain — and the demonstration of why I asked for this NATO meeting today — is to be sure that after a month we will sustain what we're doing. Not just next month, the following month, but for the remainder of this entire year,” he said.

“That’s what will stop him.”

The president said NATO leaders must stay banded together to have a chance at stopping the war in Ukraine.

“The single most important thing is for us to stay unified and for the world to continue to focus on what a brute this guy is, and all the innocent people's lives that are being lost and ruined,” he said. 

“If you're Putin, and you think that Europe is going to crack in a month or six weeks or two months, why not?” he added. “They can take anything for another month. But we have to demonstrate — the reason I asked for the meeting — we have to stay fully, totally, thoroughly united.”

Biden on Thursday also said he thinks Russia should be expelled from the G20 group — a consortium of 19 countries and the European Union representing the world’s largest economies.

“My answer is yes. That depends on the G20,” he said, noting the issue was raised among leaders in Brussels earlier Thursday. 

If other G20 countries or the Indonesian officials who lead the G20 do not allow it, he added, he believes Ukraine should be able to attend the group’s meetings.

Russia was expelled from the separate G8 in 2014 because of its annexation of Crimea, which is how the group reverted to the G7.

The G7 leaders and the European Union also announced Thursday an initiative focused on blocking the evasion of sanctions on Russia, as well as efforts to blunt Russia's central bank from being able to deploy international reserves, including gold. 

"Together, we will not allow sanctions evasion or backfilling," the White House wrote.

"Our sanctions on Russia are unprecedented — in no other circumstance have we moved so swiftly and in such a coordinated fashion to impose devastating costs on any other country," the White House wrote. "The ruble has depreciated substantially, and is expected by markets to weaken further. The Moscow Stock Exchange closed for weeks. The Central Bank of the Russian Federation has doubled interest rates to 20 percent and companies are being forced to turn over foreign exchange for rubles to provide the Russian Government hard currency. The economy is forecast to contract as much as 15 percent or more in 2022."

"This economic collapse of Russia’s GDP will wipe out the past 15 years of economic gains in Russia, according to the Institute for International Finance," the Biden administration continued. "Inflation in Russia is already spiking, with analysts projecting it to rise up to 15 percent on a year-over-year basis, and the Russian Government has been downgraded to “junk” status by major credit rating agencies. More than 400 multinational companies have left Russia in a mass exodus by the private sector."

"As long as President Putin continues this war, the United States and allies and partners are committed to ensuring the Russian government feels the compounding effects of our current and future economic actions," the Biden administration added.

The White House announced the initiatives as President Biden and world leaders gathered in Brussels for a trio of summits in response to the Russian invasion, seeking new ways to limit the economic and security fallout from the conflict.

Biden detailed the events of Thursday's extraordinary NATO Summit to discuss Russia's invasion of Ukraine, which took place on the one month anniversary of Russia's incursion.

"NATO leaders met today on the one-month anniversary of Russia’s unprovoked and unjustified invasion of Ukraine to reiterate our strong support for the Ukrainian people, our determination to hold Russia accountable for its brutal war, and our commitment to strengthening the NATO Alliance," Biden wrote. 

"We had the privilege of hearing directly from President Zelenskyy, and we will continue to support him and his government with significant, and increasing, amounts of security assistance to fight Russian aggression and uphold their right to self-defense," he added.

Zelenskyy pleaded with NATO leaders for more military aid, calling for "military assistance without limitations," saying that Russia is "using its entire arsenal."

Zelenskyy urged NATO to provide Ukraine with “1% of all your planes, 1% of all your tanks.”

“We can’t just buy those,” he said said. “When we will have all this, it will give us, just like you, 100% security.”

Ukraine is also in dire need of multiple launch rocket systems, anti-ship weapons and air defense systems, Zelenskyy said, asking: “Is it possible to survive in such a war without this?"

“It feels like we’re in a gray area, between the West and Russia, defending our common values,” Zelenskyy said. “This is the scariest thing during a war – not to have clear answers to requests for help.”

"NATO has yet to show what the Alliance can do to save people," Zelenskyy said. "To show that this is truly the most powerful defense union in the world. And the world is waiting. And Ukraine is very much waiting. Waiting for real actions. Real security guarantees."

"In the past few weeks, the United States has announced $1 billion in new security assistance to Ukraine — anti-aircraft systems, anti-armor weapons, drones, and millions of rounds of ammunition," Biden wrote in his statement. "I welcome the steps by many other Allies to provide defensive support to Ukraine and together, we are committed to identifying additional equipment, including air defense systems, to help Ukraine."

Biden said the leaders also discussed their "work to bolster NATO’s collective defense, particularly on the Eastern flank," citing their joint statement released Thursday as evidence that the alliance is "as strong and united as it has ever been."

"The United States has surged thousands of forces and additional capabilities to Europe, and we have welcomed the new deployments made by our Allies," Biden wrote. "Today’s establishment of four new battle groups in Slovakia, Romania, Bulgaria, and Hungary is a strong signal that we will collectively defend and protect every inch of NATO territory."

"Between now and the NATO summit in June, we will develop plans for additional forces and capabilities to strengthen NATO’s defenses," the president concluded. "We will adopt an updated Strategic Concept to ensure NATO is ready to meet any challenge in the new and more dangerous security environment."