Russia is making preparations to annex further Ukrainian territory, according to US National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby.
“Russia is laying the groundwork to annex Ukrainian territory that it controls in direct violation of Ukraine’s sovereignty,” Kirby told journalists late Tuesday.
“Russia is beginning to roll out a version of what you could call an annexation playbook, very similar to the one we saw in 2014,” he said in reference to the annexation of the Ukrainian Crimean Peninsula by Russia forces at that time.
Moscow has labeled its attack on Ukraine a “special military operation” to guarantee its security. In recent months, Russia has concentrated its efforts on the eastern Donbas region.
The US is expected to unveil a new weapons package for Ukraine in the coming days, 
as Russia’s invasion presses on.
