'Beginning of an invasion': US steps up warnings against Russian aggression as they prepare to roll out sanctions

On Tuesday, POLITICO reported that a key Biden administration official is explicitly calling Russia's actions in Ukraine an "invasion" — a step-up of rhetoric that presages greater confrontation by NATO.

"The remarks by deputy national security adviser Jon Finer represent a rhetorical shift by the Biden administration, which on Monday resisted calling Russia’s latest moves into Ukraine an invasion after warning for months about Russia’s military buildup along Ukraine’s border and increasing aggression in the region," reported Quint Forgey. "'We think this is, yes, the beginning of an invasion, Russia’s latest invasion into Ukraine,' Finer told CNN in an interview, referring to Russian troops moving into the so-called Donetsk People’s Republic and Luhansk People’s Republic — both of which are controlled by Russia-backed forces."

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"'I think ‘latest’ is important here,' Finer said. 'An invasion is an invasion, and that is what is underway, but Russia has been invading Ukraine since 2014,' when Russia annexed the Crimean peninsula," continued the report. "Pressed on whether Russia’s actions were an invasion or simply the beginning of a renewed incursion into Ukraine, Finer said: 'I don’t know how much more clear I can be. … This is the beginning of an invasion.'"

This comes as the U.S. is set to announce a new wave of sanctions against Russia in response to the escalation of force against Ukraine, and as Germany deals the Russian energy sector a major shot by canceling certification of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline.