On Friday, the Biden administration is expected to announce new economic sanctions against Russia in response to its controversial annexation of four regions of Ukraine, a White House official told NBC News.

Earlier, the White House said the U.S. would never recognize the results of the sham referendum and would continue to provide military and humanitarian support to Ukraine.

On Wednesday, the Biden administration announced $1.1 billion in additional security assistance for Ukraine.

As a reminder, today, the Kremlin hosted an official signing ceremony for the accession of the self-proclaimed DNR, LNR, and Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions to the Russian Federation.