Biden tells Putin 'you don't need blood unless you're planning to start a war' as Moscow orders medical stockpiles for frontline: 100 Russian trucks approach Ukrainian city of Kharkiv amid fears of 'land-grab' after West hits Kremlin cronies with sanctions

• e-mail

Vladimir Putin has moved stockpiles of blood and medical supplies to Russian troops positioned on the Ukrainian border, in a move U.S. President Joe Biden warned was in preparation for 'a massive military attack' against Ukraine.

A huge military convoy of more than 100 military trucks with soldiers was also seen heading towards the Ukrainian border where 190,000 Russian troops are already massed, raising fears Putin is about to stage a land-grab in eastern Ukraine.

Kharkiv, Ukraine's second-largest city, is closest to that border, and has long been suspected as a possible target in a Russian invasion, according to western analysts. 

Putin has already moved more than 10,000 Russian troops into Ukraine's breakaway eastern regions of Donetsk and Luhansk after he recognised them as indepedent. Some 6,000 troops were sent to Donetsk, 5,000 to Luhansk and 1,500 to the city of Horlivka, a source with links to Ukrainian intelligence said. 

Biden said it defies logic to think Putin has taken such extensive military preparations, including putting 190,000 Russian troops on the border and moving blood supplies to those areas, for reasons other than invading Ukraine. 

'This is the beginning of a Russian invasion. You don't need blood unless you're planning to start a war,' the U.S President declared. 

Biden was among world leaders to hit back against the Russian strongman for sending Russian troops into Donetsk and Luhansk in eastern Ukraine. The President announced he was moving American troops, fighter jets and helicopters to Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania on NATO's eastern flank as a defensive move and imposing heavy financial sanctions against Russian banks and oligarchs. 

The UK and EU also responded with sanctions after Russian legislators authorised Putin to use military force outside the country, a move that could pave the way for a wider invasion of Ukraine after he rolled troops into rebel-held areas. 

Holding a press conference to defend his decision today, Putin raised fears he is about to stage a land-grab in eastern Ukraine by saying his 'peacekeeping' mission will cover the whole of Donetsk and Luhansk regions including areas held by Ukraine.

Putin denied that Russia has already sent in troops but vowed that he will 'fulfil its obligations' if necessary. He also issued a fresh list of demands to Ukraine - calling on Kiev to drop its NATO bid, declare neutrality, 'demilitarize', and negotiate directly with separatists. It is expected the demands will be rejected out of hand. 

As Russia's troops rolled in, fighting in the region escalated - with shells striking a power plant on the Ukrainian side of the line Tuesday morning after explosions killed two of Kiev's men and wounded 12 overnight. 

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz had earlier led the Western response to Russia, ripping up a deal to open the Nord Stream 2 gas pipe - a move that will cost Russia billions of dollars in revenue but also hurt his own economy, saying that Putin's actions must have 'consequences'. 

Elsewhere today:

• Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov told Russia's parliament that Ukraine has 'no right to exist' as a sovereign state, as lawmakers voted unanimously to approve Putin's order
• Andrey Rudenko, Russia's deputy foreign minister, said the country has the right to establish military bases in eastern Ukraine off the back of Putin's decree - but has no plans to do so
• Ukraine's defence minister Oleksiy Reznikov steeled his troops to face 'losses', saying they will have to 'overcome fear and despair' but vowed 'certain victory' in the face of Russian threats
• Dymtro Kuleba, Ukraine's defence minister, called for 'tough' sanctions against Moscow, before flying to Washington to meet US Secretary of State Antony Blinken 
• Zelensky said he is considering cutting all ties with Russia and told his countrymen to be 'ready' for Russian provocations, but added he still does not expect widespread fighting
• Pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine continued staging what are widely believed to be false flag operations, claiming three civilians were killed in a car bombing  
• Russian stocks fell more than 8 per cent at opening, the ruble dipped to a two-year low, but oil prices rose 2 per cent amid fears of shortages
• Vladimir Putin vowed to keeping supplying Europe with gas despite threats of sanctions, though some have already accused him of choking supplies 

Russian artillery pieces are pictured in Rostov-on-Don, on the Russian side of the Ukrainian border, on Tuesday - as Vladimir Putin ordered his forces to advance on to Ukrainian territory

Russian mobile artillery and armoured troop carriers are seen in Russia's Rostov-on-Don region on Tuesday, close to the border with Ukraine's separatist-held areas

Vladimir Putin has moved stockpiles of blood and medical supplies to Russian troops positioned on the Ukrainian border, in a move U.S. President Joe Biden warned was in preparation for 'a massive military attack' against Ukraine

Putin is thought to have moved thousands of troops into rebel-held areas of eastern Ukraine today (dark red area on the map), but there are fears he will try to seize control of the wider regions that separatists lay claim to (lighter shade area)

Russian troops are seen as armoured vehicles manoeuvre in muddy conditions in Rostov-on-Don, Russia, close to rebel-held areas in eastern Ukraine

Smoke rises from a power plant after shelling outside the town of Schastia, near the eastern Ukraine city of Lugansk, on Tuesday, a day after Russia recognised east Ukraine's separatist republics and ordered the Russian army to send troops there

Satellite imagery from Tuesday shows several new deployments of troops and equipment have been established in rural areas southwest of Belgorod, less than 20 kilometers to the northwest of the border with Ukraine

U.S President Joe Biden said it defies logic to think Putin has taken such extensive military preparations, including putting 190,000 Russian troops on the border and moving blood supplies to those areas, for reasons other than invading Ukraine

A tank drives along a street after Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the deployment of Russian troops to two breakaway regions in eastern Ukraine

A tank, believed to be Russian, is spotted on a street near the city of Donetsk in separatist-held regions of eastern Ukraine

The Prime Minister Boris Johnson is briefed by the Chief of the Defence Staff Admiral Sir Tony Radakin at the Ministry of Defence on the situation in Ukraine on Tuesday

Russian volunteers collect humanitarian aid for civilians evacuated from Donbass, in the city of Taganrog, in Russia on Tuesday

Boris Johnson then announced sanctions on five Russian banks - Rossiya, IS Bank, General Bank, Promsvyazbank and Black Sea Bank - and three 'very high net wealth' individuals - Gennady Timchenko, Boris Rotenberg, and Igor Rotenberg - in what he called a 'first barrage', accusing Putin of 'a renewed invasion'.  

Boris Rotenberg, a former judo training partner of Putin, is the co-owner of SMP Bank while Igor Rotenberg is his nephew. Igor became a billionaire after being handed a raft of investments by his father Arkady - who is currently fighting his ex-wife over ownership of a £27 million mansion in Surrey. 

Timchenko is Russia's sixth richest man thanks to his ownership of investment firm Volga Group, and also an ice hockey fanatic.  

The EU also announced new sanctions on Russia that will blacklist more politicians, lawmakers and officials, ban EU investors from trading in Russian state bonds, and target imports and exports with separatist entities - but they did not go as far as sanctioning Putin. 

Meanwhile the White House began describing Putin's actions as an 'invasion' following hours of dithering, paving the way for Biden to impose his crippling financial sanctions on Russia and send more U.S. troops to the Baltic states on NATO's eastern flank after his resolve initially appeared to be wavering. 

A huge military convoy of more than 100 trucks with soldiers was on Monday night seen heading in the direction of the Ukrainian border in Russia's Belgorod region, a witness told Reuters.

Kharkiv, Ukraine's second city, is closest to that border, and has long been suspected as a possible target in a Russian invasion, according to western analysts.

Satellite imagery over the past 24 hours also shows several new troop and equipment deployments in western Russia and more than 100 military vehicles and dozens of tents at a small airfield in southern Belarus, which borders Ukraine, according to U.S. firm Maxar.   

The images also showed a new field hospital has been added to a military garrison in western Russia close to the border with Ukraine.  

Heavy equipment transporters, used for moving tanks, artillery and other heavy equipment, were also seen near the Ukraine border in western Russia, as well as several new deployments of troops. 

President Biden warned he expected Putin to go much further than sending his troops into eastern Ukraine's breakaway regions and 'launch a massive military attack against Ukraine'.  

He told reporters on Tuesday: 'We still believe that Russia is poised to go much further in launching a massive military attack against Ukraine. 

'There are still well over 150,000 Russian troops surrounding Ukraine, and as I said, Russian forces remain positioned to Belarus to attack Ukraine from the north, including warplanes and offensive missile systems.

'Russia's moved troops closer to Ukraine's border with Russia. Russia's naval vessels are manoeuvring in the Black Sea to Ukraine's south including amphibious assault ships, missile cruisers, and submarines.

'Russia has moved supplies of blood and medical equipment into position on their border. You don't need blood unless you plan on starting a war.'       

General Sir Richard Sherriff, Britain's former top Nato commander, warned that Europe is now facing its most-perilous moment since the end of the Cold War.

He told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: 'This is the most dangerous moment in Europe probably at least since 1962 and the Cuban missile crisis, but it could be much worse than that because this is the invasion of a sovereign country which could turn into a catastrophic war with warfare on a scale not seen in Europe since 1945.

'So I think it's difficult to overstate the seriousness of the situation.'

President Biden also warned that Russia 'is poised to go much further in launching a massive military attack against Ukraine.'

A Ukrainian service member fires with anti-tank missile duding tactical drills at a training ground in an unknown location in Ukraine on Tuesday 

A military truck drives along a street after Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the deployment of Russian troops

Satellite imagery provided by Maxar Technologies shows a close up of field hospital and troop deployment in western Belgorod, Russia, less than 20 kilometers to the northwest of the border with Ukraine

Satellite imagery provided by Maxar Technologies shows a close up of assembled vehicles at Bokov Airfield near Mazyr, Belarus, on Tuesday

Satellite imagery provided by Maxar Technologies shows armor and vehicles at a railyard in Belgorod, Russia, on Tuesday

Satellite imagery from Tuesday shows new deployments of troops and equipment that have been established in rural areas southwest of Belgorod, Russia, which is close to the Ukrainian border

How Putin's recognition of breakaway republics has 'dangerous parallels' to Nazi Germany's actions before WWII 

Vladimir Putin's decision to recognise two breakaway republics in eastern Ukraine has 'dangerous parallels' to Nazi Germany's actions prior to the Second World War, the Commons has heard.

Conservative MP Sir Bill Cash (Stone) said: 'This evening Mr Putin has recognised the two separatist regions in Ukraine as independent states with dangerous parallels to Germany's recognition of the Sudetenland in 1938.'  

In the run-up to the Second World War, the Sudetenland, in which three million Germans lived, was part of what was then Czechoslovakia.  

In the famous Munich Agreement of 1938 the region was ceded to Adolf Hitler in the hope that the concession would be enough to avoid Europe-wide armed conflict after months of tensions caused by Germany's territorial ambitions.

Vladimir Putin's decision to recognise two breakaway republics in eastern Ukraine has 'dangerous parallels' to Nazi Germany's actions prior to the Second World War, the Commons has heard

Hitler had been planning an invasion of the territory prior to the signing of the agreement.  

Britain's then Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain, who was the main driver of the agreement, famously told the British public after it was signed that he believed it was 'peace in our time'.

Hitler, who had already absorbed Austria into Germany in March 1938, rode roughshod over the deal the following year by annexing all of Czechoslovakia in March and invading Poland on September 1.

It was that last act of aggression which was the final straw even for the peace-loving Chamberlain, who declared war on Germany on September 3. 

France followed soon after, sparking a conflict that finally ended with Germany's defeat in May 1945.  

In the famous Munich Agreement of 1938 the region was ceded to Adolf Hitler in the hope that the concession would be enough to avoid Europe-wide armed conflict after months of tensions caused by Germany 's territorial ambitions. Above: Hitler (right) with the then British PM Neville Chamberlain (centre)  

Advertisement

For weeks, Western powers have been bracing for an invasion as Russia massed 75 per cent of its total forces on three sides of neighboring Ukraine. 

They warned an attack would cause massive casualties, energy shortages in Europe and economic chaos around the globe - and promised swift and severe sanctions if it materialized. 

Western leaders have long warned Moscow would look for cover to invade - and just such a pretext appeared to come Monday, when Putin recognized as independent two separatist regions in eastern Ukraine, where government troops have fought Russia-backed rebels in a conflict that has killed over 14,000 people. 

The Kremlin then raised the stakes further Tuesday, by saying that recognition extends even to the large parts now held by Ukrainian forces.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Russia has recognized the rebel regions' independence 'in borders that existed when they proclaimed' their independence in 2014 - broad territories that extend far beyond the areas now under the rebel control and that include the major Black Sea port of Mariupol.

Putin's move to recognize the territories' independence opened the door for him to formalise his hold on them and send forces in, though Ukraine and its Western allies have charged Russian troops have been fighting there for years. Moscow denies those allegations. 

Putin raised fears he is about to stage a land-grab in eastern Ukraine by announcing he would send Russian troops to Donetsk and Luhansk regions as part of a 'peacekeeping' mission.  

Condemnation from around the world was quick. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he would consider breaking diplomatic ties with Russia and Kyiv recalled its ambassador in Moscow.  

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said on Tuesday: 'We saw last night that further Russian troops moved into the Donbas into parts of Donetsk and Luhansk.

'What we see now is that a country that is already invaded is suffering further invasion. 

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on Tuesday he was 'concerned about the perversion of the concept of peacekeeping' after Moscow ordered Russian troops into eastern Ukraine to 'keep the peace.'

'When troops of one country enter the territory of another country without its consent, they are not impartial peacekeepers. They are not peacekeepers at all,' Guterres told reporters.

The United States has dismissed Russia's justification to deploy troops as 'peacekeepers' as 'nonsense.'

But confusion over what exactly was happening in eastern Ukraine threatened to hobble a Western response. While the U.S. clearly called it an invasion, some other allies hedged.

'Russian troops have entered in Donbas,' the name for the area where the two separatist regions are located, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said in Paris. 'We consider Donbas part of Ukraine.'

But in a distinction that could complicate a European and Western response, he added: 'I wouldn't say that (it is) a fully fledged invasion, but Russian troops are on Ukrainian soil.'

Poland's Defense Ministry and British Health Secretary Sajid Javid also said Russian forces had entered Ukraine's east, with Javid telling Sky News that 'the invasion of Ukraine has begun.'

British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace didn't mince words either. 'Russia has already invaded Ukraine. They did it in 2014, occupied illegally Crimea and Donbas. This is a further invasion of their sovereign territory,' Wallace said. 

Not all in Europe saw it that way. Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares noted 'if Russia uses force against Ukraine, sanctions will be massive.'

The Kremlin hasn't confirmed any troop deployments to the rebel east, saying it will depend on the security situation. 

Vladislav Brig, a member of the separatist local council in Donetsk, told reporters that the Russian troops already had moved in, but more senior rebel leaders didn't confirm that. 

Late Monday, convoys of armored vehicles were seen rolling across the separatist-controlled territories. It wasn't immediately clear if they were Russian. 

Putin said the crisis could be resolved if Kyiv recognizes Russia's sovereignty over Crimea, the Black Sea peninsula that Moscow annexed from Ukraine in 2014, renounces its bid to join NATO and partially demilitarizes. The West has decried the annexation of Crimea as a violation of international law and has previously flatly rejected permanently barring Ukraine from NATO. 

In response to the moves thus far, the EU agreed new sanctions on Russia that will blacklist more politicians, lawmakers and officials, ban EU investors from trading in Russian state bonds, and target imports and exports with separatist entities.

However, EU foreign ministers chose not to sanction Putin, the EU's foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said following a meeting in Paris on Tuesday.

'This package of sanctions that has been approved by unanimity by the member states will hurt Russia, and it will hurt a lot,' Borrell told a news conference alongside France's foreign minister Jean-Yves Le Drian at a meeting in Paris.

Separately, Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas said that further Russian aggression in Ukraine would result in more sanctions, in coordination with the United States. 

It was not immediately clear when the sanctions would take effect, but diplomats expect them in the coming hours or days, when names and details will be made public.

Borrell also said: 'We are going to target 27 individuals and entities who are playing a role in undermining or threatening Ukrainian territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence.'

Borrell said those individuals and entities were in Russia's defence, banking and financial sector.

'We target the ability of the Russian state and government to access our capital and financial markets and services,' Borrell said.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson also said the U.K. would slap sanctions on five Russian banks and three wealthy individuals.

While he said that Russian tanks have already rolled into eastern Ukraine, he warned a full-scale offensive would bring 'further powerful sanctions.'

But the first deputy chairman of the Russian State Duma's committee on international affairs said sanctions imposed by Johnson would have 'zero' effect.

Vyacheslav Nikonov told BBC Radio 4's PM programme: 'What would be the result of sanctions like they're introduced today by Boris Johnson? Zero, it's nothing. It's sanctioned about three oligarchs and five... small banks. You know, this is a laughable affair, of course.

'We expected something more serious, like switching from... Swift, or cancelling the (buyers) of gas and so on.'

The White House has also moved to respond, issuing an executive order to prohibit U.S. investment and trade in the separatist regions. 

President Biden announced on Tuesday a decision to move additional U.S. troops to the Baltic states on NATO's eastern flank bordering Russia as well as damaging economic sanctions. He added the U.S. would continue to supply 'defensive' weapons to Ukraine.

'I have authorized additional movements of US forces and equipment, already stationed in Europe, to strengthen our Baltic allies, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania,' Biden said in a televised speech at the White House.

'Let me be clear, these are totally defensive moves on our part.'

The move involves 800 troops in an infantry battalion task force from Italy to the Baltic region and up to eight F-35 Strike fighter jets from Germany to 'several operating locations along NATO's eastern flank', the Pentagon said.   

Twenty AH-64 attack helicopters were to be moved from Germany to the Baltic area and 12 more would be relocated from Greece to Poland.

The steps would bolster the now more than 90,000 US troops temporarily or permanently deployed in Europe.

'These additional personnel are being repositioned to reassure our NATO allies, deter any potential aggression against NATO member states, and train with host-nation forces,' a US senior defense official said in a statement.

Biden also announced the first wave of sanctions against Russia after accusing Putin of flagrantly violating international law in what he called 'the beginning of a Russian invasion of Ukraine', and vowed steeper punishments ahead if Russia continues its aggression.    

Why gas and the Nord Stream 2 pipeline are so significant in Putin's standoff with Ukraine?

What is Nord Stream 2? 

Nord Stream 2 is a 750-mile, $10billion natural gas pipeline that runs from Russia to Germany under the Baltic Sea, which finished being built just last year - meaning it only needs the approval of Germany to start pumping gas.

The US has bitterly opposed the project, viewing it as a geopolitical weapon that Russia will make Europe more dependent on Russian fossil fuels and exert influence over the region.

Nord Stream 2 would also largely replace existing pipelines running through Ukraine and Poland, depriving their governments of billions of dollars in transit revenues. 

But for Europe, and in particular for Germany whose economy largely relies on fossil fuels, the pipe is viewed as a valuable resource - providing access to huge fields of cheap gas trapped under Russian soil.

Given the continent is currently in the midst of an energy crisis combined with peaking inflation, the pipe is seen as especially valuable.  

Europe gets almost 40 percent of its natural gas from Russia, having become more reliant on Moscow as it takes its own gas fields offline to meet carbon targets. 

Russia's natural gas exports to Germany via the existing Nord Stream pipeline crossing the Baltic Sea account for around a third of the total gas sent to Europe, but Moscow hopes it can double capacity with the new line.

Nord Stream 2 would supply 26 million German homes when and if it is turned on, while allowing surplus to be sold on to Germany's neighbours. 

What has Germany previously said about the pipeline?   

Angela Merkel, the former German chancellor, with a big supporter of the project - viewing it as a way to replace German nuclear power that she mothballed in the wake of the Fukushima disaster in Japan. 

Olaf Scholz, her successor, largely stayed quiet about the pipe in the opening months of his chancellorship despite coming under intense pressure to explicitly state it would be threatened if Russian attacked Ukraine.

Pressed on the issue several times, he demurred - saying only that 'all options' would be considered and that Germany was willing to act 'against its interests' to preserve European security.  

What did Scholz say today? 

In a move that surprised many, Scholz said Tuesday morning that he would cancel approval of the project after Putin recognised areas of eastern Ukraine as independent and ordered his troops to move in.

Scholz said his government made the decision in response Putin's order, which he said marked a 'serious break of international law' by attempting to redraw the border of Ukraine by force.

'Now it's up to the international community to react to this one-sided, incomprehensible and unjustified action by the Russian president,' he told reporters in Berlin,

He added that it was necessary to 'send a clear signal to Moscow that such actions won't remain without consequences'. 

Benchmark European gas prices jumped by 13 per cent off the back of the news, while the UK equivalent rose 8 per cent. 

Will Russia cut off gas supplies if it invades?

No one knows for sure, but a complete shutoff is seen as unlikely, because it would be mutually destructive.

Russian officials have not signaled they would consider cutting supplies in the case of new sanctions. Moscow relies on energy exports, and though it just signed a gas deal with China, Europe is a key source of revenue.

Europe is likewise dependent on Russia, so any Western sanctions would likely avoid directly targeting Russian energy supplies.

More likely, experts say, would be Russia withholding gas sent through pipelines crossing Ukraine. Russia pumped 175 billion cubic meters of gas into Europe last year, nearly a quarter of it through those pipelines, according to S&P Global Platts. That would leave pipelines under the Baltic Sea and through Poland still operating.

'I think in the event of even a less severe Russian attack against Ukraine, the Russians are almost certain to cut off gas transiting Ukraine on the way to Germany,' said former U.S. diplomat Dan Fried, who as State Department coordinator for sanctions policy helped craft 2014 measures against Russia when it invaded and annexed Ukraine´s Crimea peninsula.

Russia could then offer to make up the lost gas if Germany approves the contentious new Nord Stream 2 pipeline, whose operators could face potential U.S. sanctions even though a recent vote to that effect failed.

U.S. national security adviser Jake Sullivan said Sunday on NBC's 'Meet the Press' that the Biden administration has coordinated with its allies and that 'if Russia invades Ukraine, one way or another, Nord Stream 2 will not move forward.'

Interrupting gas supplies beyond the Ukrainian pipelines is less likely: 'If they push it too far, they're going to make a breach with Europe irreparable, and they have to sell the oil and gas someplace,' Fried said.

Advertisement

Smoke and flames engulf a power and heating plant generator in Shchastya, on the Ukrainian side of the front line, after being hit by shells fired from the separatist side

Military vehicles drive along a street after Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the deployment of Russian troops

Russian troops are seen entering Donetsk in the early hours of Tuesday morning, after Vladimir Putin said he was sending in 'peacekeepers'

Boris Johnson (left) is seen leaving Downing Street after vowing that the UK is ready to issue an 'initial barrage' of sanctions against Russia, while foreign secretary Liz Truss (right) is seen arriving hours earlier at a COBRA meeting 

EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen (pictured on Tuesday) and EU Council President Charles Michel said sanctions would also 'target trade from the two breakaway regions to and from the EU'

Vladimir Putin last night chaired a meeting of Russia's full security council, with top aides getting to their feet one by one to lay out the case for war in Ukraine 

Russian tanks and armoured vehicles partially covered in white camouflage paint are pictured rolling towards the border with Ukraine, amid fears a wider invasion is still on the cards

The U.S. President took a direct hit at Putin's inner circle, invoking sanctions on the Russian leader's deputy chief of staff, the head of his security agency and the CEO of the Russian-version of Facebook. 

The targets on specific Russian individuals comes as part of what the administration is calling a 'first tranche' of sanctions in response to Putin declaring two parts of Ukraine as independent republics.

'Yesterday Vladimir Putin recognized two regions of Ukraine as independent states and he bizarrely asserted that these regions are no longer part of Ukraine and they are sovereign territory,' Biden said at the White House on Tuesday. 

'To put it simply, Russia just announced that it is carving out a big chunk of Ukraine.'

'Who in the Lord's name does Putin think gives him the right to declare new so-called 'countries' on territory that belonged to his neighbors?' the president lamented. 

When it comes to Russian claims of a justification or pretext for an invasion, Biden said, 'None of us should be fooled. None of us will be fooled. There is no justification.' 

Biden said two Russian financial institutions, VTB and Russia's military bank, will face sanctions. He also said Russia's sovereign debt will be sanctioned so Russia 'can no longer raise money from the West and cannot trade its new debt on our markets, or European markets either.'   

'I'm going to begin to impose sanctions in response, far beyond the steps we and our allies and partners implemented in 2014,' he added, in a reference to Russia's annexation of Crimea from Ukraine.    

He said: 'Starting tomorrow and continuing in the days ahead we will also impose sanctions on Russia's elites and their family members. They share in the corrupt gains of the Kremlin policies and should share in the pain as well.'

Mr Biden said the US had worked with Germany in the halting of Nordstream 2, and he added: 'As Russia contemplates its next move, we have our next move prepared as well. Russia will pay an even steeper price if it continues its aggression, including additional sanctions.' 

Those sanctions are independent of what Washington has prepared in the event of a Russian invasion, according to a senior administration official who briefed reporters on the condition of anonymity. 

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov earlier brushed off the threat of sanctions.

'Our European, American, British colleagues will not stop and will not calm down until they have exhausted all their possibilities for the so-called punishment of Russia,' he said.

Putin did not watch Biden's speech and Russia will first look at what the United States has outlined before responding, according to Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov, cited by Russian news agencies. 

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau followed Biden's suit and announced Canada is sending hundreds more troops to eastern Europe and imposing new sanctions on Russia in response to the deployment of forces into Ukraine.  

Biden's announcement of sanctions appeared to hold in reserve some of the broadest and toughest of the penalties considered by the United States. Those include an export ban that would deny Russia U.S. high technology for its industries and military, and more sweeping financial bans that could cripple Russia's ability to do business with the rest of the world.

Still, U.S. Secretary of State Blinken said the sanctions announced are in line with 'start high, stay high' approach.

White House deputy national security adviser Daleep Singh added that the initial sanctions send the message that 'no Russian financial institution is safe if the invasion proceeds.'

'No one should think that it's our goal to max out on sanctions,' Singh said. 'Sanctions are not an end of themselves. They serve a higher purpose, and that purpose is to deter and prevent.'

The two major Russian banks targeted by the U.S. sanctions are Vnesheconombank (VEB) and Promsvyazbank Public Joint Stock Company (PSB). VEB is crucial to Russia's ability to raise funds, and PSB is critical to Russia's defense sector. The two hold more than $80 billion in assets combined and will be cut off from carrying out transactions in the U.S. and European banking systems.

Ukraine Foreign Minister Dymtro Kuleba said after a meeting with Blinken in Washington Tuesday that U.S and Western sanctions against Russia in escalating waves can work, but he urged allies to be aggressive. Kuleba argued that Putin should not have a 'single moment' when he feels sanctions have reached a ceiling.

Among the oligarchs and others close to Putin cited for sanctions are Denis Bortnikov a deputy president of Russian-state owned VTB Bank, and Petr Fradkov, chairman and CEO of PSB.

The VTB official's father Aleksandr Bortnikov, director of the Federal Security Service and a permanent member of the Security Council of the Russian Federation, was also cited in the sanction lists. Fradkov is the son of Mikhail Fradkov, a former Russian prime minister and former director of Russia's foreign intelligence service.

Sergei Kiriyenko, Putin's first deputy chief of staff, and his son Vladimir Kiriyenko, who is the CEO of the parent company of Russia's top social media platform, VKontakte, were also designated.

And NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg insisted that if Putin pushes further into Ukraine, the West would move in lockstep. 'If Russia decides once again to use force against Ukraine, there will be even stronger sanctions, even a higher price to pay,' he said. 

The West insisted Putin's bold moves in Ukraine violated countless international agreements and since diplomacy has failed, it was time to move towards action.

Western powers have long made clear the fate of Ukraine wasn't worth a direct military confrontation with Russia and the potential of a world war, so sanctions were the only, limited, option to channel their anger.

'No lows too low, no lies too blatant, no red lines too red to cross,' Lithuanian Prime Minister Ingrida Simonyte said in summing up the political disgust felt by nations from Europe to North America and the democracies hugging Russia's borders in Asia like Japan and South Korea.

The Russian moves also pushed Germany to suspend the certification process for Nord Stream 2 pipeline that was to bring natural gas from Russia. 

The pipeline was built to help Germany meet its energy needs, particularly as it switches off its last three nuclear power plants and phases out the use of coal, and it has resisted calls by the U.S. and others to halt the project.

Germany is Russia's biggest customer for natural gas, and the decision by Scholz on the pipeline was widely seen as one of the strongest measures Europe could take.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba hailed the move.

'This is a morally, politically and practically correct step in the current circumstances,' he said. 'True leadership means tough decisions in difficult times. Germany's move proves just that.'

The Kremlin said it hoped the delay was temporary. Putin said Russia 'aims to continue uninterrupted supplies' of energy to the world.

As world leaders scrambled to decide on their response, legislation that will likely set the stage for a deeper move into Ukrainian territory moved through Russia's parliament.

The bills, which sailed quickly through the Kremlin-controlled parliament, envisage military ties between Moscow and the separatist regions, including possible deployment of Russian military bases in the separatist regions.

Russia also ordered its diplomats to flee Ukraine on Monday night, in another likely sign of impending full-scale war. The Russian Federation will close its embassy in Kyiv as well as consulates in Odessa, Kharkiv and Lviv.

Moscow alleged its staff had been repeatedly attacked in yet another false flag claim.

Ukrainian protestors today planted crosses outside Russia's Kyiv embassy and vowed to send occupiers home in coffins. But they were outnumbered by Ukrainian security forces who formed a human barrier to protect the shuttered diplomatic compound.

Russia's ministry of foreign affairs announced: 'To protect their life and safety the Russian leadership decided to evacuate the personnel of Russian foreign missions, which will be realised as soon as possible.'

Even as alarm spread across the globe, Zelenskyy, the Ukrainian president, sought to project calm, telling the country in an address overnight: 'We are not afraid of anyone or anything. We don't owe anyone anything. And we won't give anything to anyone.'

His foreign minister, Dmytro Kuleba, will be in Washington on Tuesday to meet with Secretary of State Antony Blinken, the State Department said.

Russia has long denied it has any plans to invade Ukraine, instead blaming the U.S. and its allies for the current crisis and describing Ukraine's bid to join NATO as an existential challenge to Russia. 

Putin reiterated those accusations in an hourlong televised speech on Monday, when he announced that Russia would recognize the rebels.

'Ukraine's membership in NATO poses a direct threat to Russia's security,' he said.

Russia says it wants Western guarantees that NATO won't allow Ukraine and other former Soviet countries to join as members. Moscow has also demanded the alliance halt weapons deployments to Ukraine and roll back its forces from Eastern Europe - demands flatly rejected by the West.

Putin warned Monday that the Western rejection of Moscow's demands gives Russia the right to take other steps to protect its security.

Sweeping through more than a century of history, Putin painted today's Ukraine as a modern construct used by the West to contain Russia despite the neighbors inextricable links.

In a stark warning to Ukraine, the Russian leader charged that it has unfairly inherited Russia's historic land granted to it by the Communist rulers of the Soviet Union and mocked its effort to shed the Communist past in a so-called 'decommunization' campaign.

'We are ready to show you what the real decommunization would mean for Ukraine,' Putin added ominously in an apparent signal of his readiness to raise new land claims.

Civilians climb onto a train in Donetsk to go to the Rostov region in Russia on Tuesday

A Ukranian serviceman shows a shell hole after shelling in the Zaytseve village not far from pro-Russian militants controlled city of Gorlivka Donetsk area on Monday

A Ukrainian solider checks on the trenches near the Zaytseve village not far from pro-Russian militants controlled city of Gorlivka Donetsk area in Ukraine on Monday

A convoy of armored vehicles of the Ukrainian army moves towards the border as tension rises in Lujahansk, Ukraine on Tuesday

The coffin of Captain Anton Olegovich Sidorov is carried by members of the honor guard during a commemorative ceremony in Kiev, Ukraine, on Tuesday. The soldier's death was reported by Ukraine's army on Saturday, one of the first such casualties in weeks, attributing it to a fatal shrapnel wound amid a wave of shelling by separatist rebels in the east

The coffin of Captain Anton Olegovich Sidorov is carried by members of the honor guard during a commemorative ceremony in Kiev on Tuesday

Amid the soaring tensions, U.S. President Joe Biden and Putin tentatively agreed to a meeting in a last-ditch effort to avoid war. But the U.S. always said that if Russia moved in, the meeting would be off.

And the White House on Tuesday confirmed that a meeting between the leaders 'certainly is not in the plans' at this point in time.  

Ukraine U.N. Ambassador Sergiy Kyslytsya demanded that Russia cancel its recognition of the independence of the separatist regions, immediately withdraw its 'occupation troops' sent there by Putin, and return to negotiations. He called the Security Council 'sick' for its past inaction, and urged members to defend Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Despite Putin's actions, he said, 'The internationally recognized borders of Ukraine have been and will remain unchangeable regardless of any statements and actions by the Russian Federation.'

While Ukraine has the right to self-defense under the U.N. Charter, he said, 'We are committed to a peaceful and diplomatic path and we will stay firmly on it. We are on our land. We are not afraid of anything or anyone. We owe nothing to anyone, and we will not give away anything to anyone.'

He said 'there should be no doubts whatsoever' about this because 'it is not February 2014,' when Russia invaded Crimea, which it later annexed, and Ukraine was not prepared. 'It is February 2022,' he said.

Russian U.N. Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia accused the United States and its Western allies of egging on Ukraine - which he said has concentrated a 120,000-strong military contingent along the contact line with pro-Russian separatists in the east - toward 'an armed provocation.'

He accused Ukraine of sharply increasing shelling in residential areas of Luhansk and Donetsk over the past weekend as well as in some Russian towns and villages near the border. 'So it has become clear that Donbas is on the brink of a new Ukrainian military adventure as was already the case in 2014 and 2015,' he said, explaining that is why Putin made the announcements earlier Monday.

Putin announced the decision to recognise eastern Ukraine's Donetsk and Luhansk regions as independent in a lengthy televised address on Monday evening. 

He said: 'I believe it is necessary to take a long overdue decision, to immediately recognise the independence and sovereignty of the Donetsk People's Republic and the Lugansk People's Republic.' He was then shown signing mutual aid agreements with rebel leaders in the Kremlin. 

At the end of his lengthy speech, Putin asked Russia's upper house of parliament, the Federation Council, to 'support this decision'.

Both Russia's lower and upper houses of parliament are due to vote on the recognition on Tuesday.

The Russian leader also demanded that Ukraine end military operations against pro-Moscow rebels in the eastern part of the country, or face more possible 'bloodshed'.

'We demand an immediate end to military operations,' Putin said, accusing Kyiv of 'trying to organise a blitzkrieg' in east Ukraine.

'Otherwise, all responsibility for the possible continuation of bloodshed will be fully on the conscience of the regime in power in Ukraine,' he added.

The West had repeatedly warned Putin not to recognise Ukraine's rebels, a move that effectively buries a fragile peace agreement regulating the conflict. 

Putin spoke for over an hour in a speech heavy with historical references questioning Ukraine's right to sovereignty and alleging the West had spent years cheating Moscow.

'Modern Ukraine was entirely and completely created by Russia,' Putin said. 

Volodymyr Zelensky, in a speech to the Ukrainian nation last night, vowed 'we are not afraid of anyone or anything' and that 'we will not give anything to anyone' in defiance of Russian pressure

Waving Russian flags, people celebrated the latest announcement in the streets in Donetsk, Ukraine on Monday, February 21

Putin's recognition of the Donetsk and Luhansk rebel regions' independence paves the way for the long-feared Russian invasion. Pro-Russian residents in Donestk celebrated independence with a fireworks show on Monday

Russian Ambassador to the UN Vasily Nebenzya attends as the United Nations Security Council meets after Russia recognized two breakaway regions in eastern Ukraine as independent entities, in New York City, U.S., on February 21

Appearing visibly angry, Putin said Ukraine should be called 'Ukraine of Vladimir Ilyich Lenin', saying it owes its creation to the Russian revolutionary.

He also accused Kiev of waging 'genocide' in eastern Ukraine and of preparing to get hold of a nuclear arsenal.

He said the West 'spat' on Russia's security concerns for years by 'moving NATO eastwards and putting military infrastructure closer to Russia's borders.'

The Russian leader said the West was trying to 'blackmail' Moscow, 'regardless of the situation in Ukraine.'

'There is only one aim: to stop Russia from developing. And they will do it, as they did before, even without any formal pretext at all,' the longtime Russian leader said. 

In response, Ms Truss said the UK will announce new sanctions on Russia on Tuesday 'in response to their breach of international law and attack on Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity'. 

Meanwhile Mr Johnson will chair a Cobra meeting at 6.30am on Tuesday morning to discuss the latest developments in Ukraine, a No 10 spokesperson said.   

The spokesperson said: 'The Prime Minister will chair a COBR (Cobra) at 0630 tomorrow morning to discuss the latest developments in Ukraine and to coordinate the UK response including agreeing a significant package of sanctions to be introduced immediately.'  

The European Union's top officials have also said the bloc will impose sanctions against Russia.  

EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Council President Charles Michel say in a joint statement that the recognition is 'a blatant violation of international law.'

The statement adds that the bloc 'will react with sanctions' and 'reiterates its unwavering support to Ukraine's independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity within its internationally recognised borders.'

Responding to Putin signing a decree formally recognising rebel-held territories in eastern Ukraine as independent states, Mr Johnson told a press conference: 'I gather that Vladimir Putin has effectively announced that Russia is recognising the breakaway republics of Donetsk and Lugansk. 

'This is plainly in breach of international law. It's a flagrant violation of the sovereignty and integrity of Ukraine. 

'It is a repudiation of the Minsk process and the Minsk agreements. And I think it's a very ill omen and a very dark sign, and certainly does seem to me that it's certainly an indication - yet another indication - that things are moving in the wrong direction in Ukraine.

'The UK will continue to do everything we can to stand by the people of Ukraine with a very robust package of sanctions, as you know, fortifying the Eastern flank of NATO in all the ways that we have, but also being one of the few countries to have given the Ukrainians, the defensive weaponry that we think is appropriate to their needs and we will continue to to think about what more we can do to support Ukraine in what is clearly a very, very dark and difficult time.'

Mr Johnson later told the Ukrainian president that he believes a Russian invasion is 'a real possibility in the coming hours and days'.

A Downing Street spokesperson said: 'Prime Minister Boris Johnson spoke to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy this evening to discuss the deteriorating situation in and around Ukraine.

'Outlining his grave concern at recent developments in the region, the Prime Minister told President Zelenskyy that he believed an invasion was a real possibility in the coming hours and days.

'The Prime Minister strongly condemned the Kremlin's decision to recognise Luhansk and Donetsk as independent states, and said the move made the Minsk agreements and process unworkable.

'He added that the UK was already engaging with partners on the issue and said the UK would raise it at the United Nations Security Council and Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe in the coming days.'

Mr Johnson also told President Zelenskyy that he would 'explore sending further defensive support to Ukraine' at the request of the country's government.

A Downing Street spokesperson said: 'He told President Zelenskyy that the UK had already drawn up sanctions to target those complicit in the violation of Ukraine's territorial integrity, and that those measures would come into force tomorrow.

'The Prime Minister also said he would explore sending further defensive support to Ukraine, at the request of the Ukrainian government.

'The leaders agreed that the West needed to support Ukraine in the event of an invasion, but should continue to pursue a diplomatic solution until the last possible second.

'Regardless of President Putin's actions, the UK would be steadfast in its full support of Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity, the Prime Minister said.'

 Ms Truss said 'we will not allow Russia's violation of its international commitments to go unpunished' after Putin said he would recognise two separatist Ukrainian republics. 

She added: 'President Putin's recognition of the 'Donetsk People's Republic' and 'Luhansk People's Republic' as independent states shows flagrant disregard for Russia's commitments under the Minsk agreements. This step... signals an end to the Minsk process.

'It demonstrates Russia's decision to choose a path of confrontation over dialogue. We will co-ordinate our response with allies. We will not allow Russia's violation of its international commitments to go unpunished.'

Nato chief Jens Stoltenberg tonight condemned Putin's action in recognising the breakaway republics in eastern Ukraine and accused Russia of 'trying to stage a pretext to invade Ukraine yet again'.

'I condemn Russia's decision to extend recognition to the self-proclaimed 'Donetsk People's Republic' and 'Luhansk People's Republic',' NATO's secretary general Mr Stoltenberg said.

'This further undermines Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity, erodes efforts towards a resolution of the conflict, and violates the Minsk Agreements, to which Russia is a party.'

The former Norwegian Prime Minister added: 'In 2015, the United Nations Security Council, which includes Russia, reaffirmed its full respect for the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of Ukraine. Donetsk and Luhansk are part of Ukraine.

'Moscow continues to fuel the conflict in eastern Ukraine by providing financial and military support to the separatists. It is also trying to stage a pretext to invade Ukraine once again.

'NATO supports the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine within its internationally recognised borders. Allies urge Russia, in the strongest possible terms, to choose the path of diplomacy, and to immediately reverse its massive military build-up in and around Ukraine, and withdraw its forces from Ukraine in accordance with its international obligations and commitments.'

UK Foreign Office minister James Cleverly said sanctions imposed by Britain will be ratcheted up because of 'what has already happened' and not just in response to 'what might happen in the future'.

Speaking in the Commons, Mr Cleverly told MPs: 'I can confidently inform the House that they are demanding of the Government something which the Government is absolutely determined to do. You are pushing at an open door.'

The Foreign Office minister added: 'The question that was asked is, 'are these sanctions only going to be escalated in response to further aggression?'

'I can assure this House that these sanctions will be ratcheted up because of what has already happened, not just in response to what might happen in the future. Our intention, as I say, is to prevent even further invasion of Ukraine, to have those troops that are currently in Ukraine removed and then have them returned to their own barracks once they are back in Russia.'

Liberal Democrat Layla Moran said: 'While so far we may have talked the talk, I'm afraid to say today's list of sanctions were gruel. I don't think that they've done anything. I don't even think there is a line in the sand there.'

The MP for Oxford West and Abingdon told the Commons she welcomed the sanctions but she wants the Government 'to do so much more than it's done today'.

She spoke of the need to tackle 'Putin's cronies' and also used her parliamentary privilege to name 35 people she said were on a list of 'key enablers' compiled by Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny and his team over a year ago.

Russian tanks an armoured vehicles are seen in what observers described as 'battle formation' close to the border with Ukraine, with a 'Z' symbol painted on the sides which is believed to denote a battle group

Russia has moved its forces to within three miles of the Ukrainian border, with tanks spotted on manoeuvres in Kursk (left) at the weekend and support trucks in Belgorod (right) on Monday

Russian 'terminator' tanks - armoured vehicles that are designed to support infantry units fighting in urban areas - were spotted being transferred to the frontlines at the weekend

Russian President Vladimir Putin, right, toasts with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev from a distance after their talks in the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, on Tuesday 

President Biden called Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and convened a meeting of his National Security team after Putin signed the decree. 

Zelensky revealed the call with Biden on Twitter Monday and said they 'discussed the events of the last hours'.

'We begin the meeting of the National Security and Defense Council,' he posted, adding: 'A conversation with [UK Prime Minister] Boris Johnson is also planned.'

Mr Johnson's spokesman said that it appears Putin's invasion plan has 'already begun' while Ms Truss, after meeting with NATO, said an invasion appears 'highly likely' but that diplomacy must continue until the last moment. 

There are now thought to be 190,000 Russian troops on the border of Ukraine comprising around three quarters of its conventional forces backed by 500 fighter jets, 50 heavy bombers, and dozens of attack helicopters.

The Kremlin denies it has plans to attack, but Western allies say Putin is trying to concoct a pretext to invade by stirring up conflict in two breakaway eastern regions - Donetsk and Luhansk - and staging 'false flag' attacks to justify marching his troops in on a mission to 'protect' them.

Should Russia go ahead with its attack, the US has warned the UN security council that Moscow has prepared a list of targets for assassination and imprisonment in detention camps.

Officials say the list includes anyone who might oppose the Kremlin - including political figures, journalists, Russian and Belarusian dissidents sheltering in the country, ethnic minorities and members of the LGBTQ community. 

'As we've seen in the past, we expect Russia will try to force cooperation through intimidation and repression,' a US official told Foreign Policy magazine on Friday, before a letter containing the allegations was sent to the US on Monday.

'These acts, which in past Russian operations have included targeted killings, kidnappings/forced disappearances, detentions, and the use of torture, would likely target those who oppose Russian actions.

'[That] includes Russian and Belarusian dissidents in exile in Ukraine, journalists and anti-corruption activists, and vulnerable populations such as religious and ethnic minorities and LGBT persons.'

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov called the claims an 'absolute lie'.  

Heavy shelling was reported along the frontline at the weekend, leaving several Ukrainian troops dead, following what Russian state media claimed were terror attacks targeting top officials and a gas pipeline in the two regions - which the West said was staged.

Fighting continued on Monday, with separatist commanders alleging that artillery had been fired into the Donetsk region and struck a hospital with 'clashes' reported near Mariupol. Russia separately claimed that a Ukrainian shell had blown up a guard post in Rostov-on-Don. Ukraine denies firing at either separatist or Russian territory.

The Kremlin has also been pushing claims that 'mass graves' containing the bodies of civilians killed by Ukrainian troops have been discovered in the region, and on Monday submitted documents containing those allegations to the UN Security Council.

Tens of of thousands of civilians - mostly women, children and the elderly - have now being evacuated from rebel-held areas into Russia due to the 'threat'. Fighting-age men have been ordered to stay behind under the threat of legal sanctions if they try to leave.

In what appeared to be a last-ditch diplomatic gambit brokered with the aid of French President Emmanuel Macron, the White House said Biden has agreed 'in principle' to a meeting with Putin as long as he holds off on launching an assault. But the Kremlin said no 'concrete' plans had been made.

It is the second time that Emmanuel Macron, who has tried to position himself as Europe's top security negotiator, has been embarrassed by Moscow - given guarantees which were revoked when he made them public. Two weeks ago he claimed Putin had agreed to stop military drills on Ukraine's border, which Russia immediately denied. 

White House press secretary Jen Psaki said the administration has been clear that 'we are committed to pursuing diplomacy until the moment an invasion begins.' 

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov are set to meet on Thursday in Europe - as long as Russia does not send its troops into Ukraine beforehand.

'We are always ready for diplomacy. We are also ready to impose swift and severe consequences should Russia instead choose war,' Psaki said in statement. 

'And currently, Russia appears to be continuing preparations for a full-scale assault on Ukraine very soon.'

Despite the threat, life in the capital Kiev outwardly continued as usual for many Sunday, with brunches and church services, ahead of what Biden said late last week was an already decided-upon Russian attack.

Katerina Spanchak, who fled a region of eastern Ukraine when it was taken over by Russian-allied separatists, was among worshippers crowded into the capital's St. Michael's monastery, smoky with the candles burned by the faithful, to pray that Ukraine be spared.

'We all love life, and we are all united by our love of life,' Spanchak said, pausing to compose herself. 'We should appreciate it every day. That's why I think everything will be fine.'

'Our joint prayers will help to elude this tragedy, which is advancing,' said another worshipper, who identified himself only by his first name, Oleh.

A U.S. official said Sunday that Biden's assertion that Putin has made the decision to roll Russian forces into Ukraine was based on intelligence that Russian front-line commanders have been given orders to begin final preparations for an attack. The official spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe the sensitive intelligence.

The United States and many European countries have charged for weeks that Putin has built up the forces he needs to invade Ukraine - a westward-looking democracy that has sought to move out of Russia's orbit - and is now trying to create pretexts to invade.

Western nations have threatened massive sanctions if Putin does.

U.S. officials on Sunday defended their decision to hold off on their planned financial punishments of Russia ahead of any invasion, after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called passionately Saturday for the West to do more.

'If you pull the trigger on that deterrent, well then, it doesn't exist anymore as a deterrent,' Pentagon spokesman John Kirby told Fox on Washington's sanctions threat.

Russia held nuclear drills Saturday as well as the conventional exercises in Belarus, and has ongoing naval drills off the coast in the Black Sea.

The announcement that Russia was reversing its pledge to withdraw its forces from Belarus came after two days of sustained shelling along a contact line between Ukraine's soldiers and Russian-allied separatists in eastern Ukraine, an area that Ukraine and the West worry could be the flashpoint in igniting conflict.

Britain's Defense Secretary Ben Wallace opens delivers somber comments Tuesday as he opens a conference of defense ministers in the UK following Putin's decision to send troops into Ukraine

Natalia, the widow of a Ukrainian soldier killed in fighting on the border with separatists, weeps during the funeral of Captain Anton Sidorov in Kiev this morning

The coffin of Ukrainian Captain Anton Sidorov is seen in Kyiv this morning, who died on the front line on Feb 19th

Russia is continuing to evacuate citizens from rebel held areas of Ukraine, with tens of thousands of women, children and the elderly bussed across the border

A child is seen on board an evacuation bus in rebel-held areas of Ukraine, as he is driven to Russian because of 'threats' from Kiev - which the government has dismissed as 'fake news' propaganda

Women and children are loaded on to buses in rebel-occupied Ukraine, so they can be 'evacuated' to Russia

Lawmakers in the self-declared Luhansk People's Republic meet Tuesday morning to ratify Russia's acknowledgement of the territory as independent from the wider state

Biden convened the National Security Council at the White House on Russia's military buildup around Ukraine. White House officials released no immediate details of their roughly two hours of discussion.

'We're talking about the potential for war in Europe,' U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris said earlier Sunday at a security conference in Munich, Germany, that saw urgent consultations among world leaders on the crisis. 'It's been over 70 years, and through those 70 years ... there has been peace and security.'

Zelenskyy on Sunday appealed on Twitter for a cease-fire. Russia has denied plans to invade, but the Kremlin did not respond to Zelenskyy's offer Saturday to meet with Putin.

After a call with Macron, Putin blamed Ukraine - incorrectly, according to observers there - for the escalation of shelling along the contact line and NATO for 'pumping modern weapons and ammunition' into Ukraine.

Macron, a leader in European efforts to broker a peaceful resolution with Russia, also spoke separately to Zelenskyy, to British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and to Biden.

Blinken intentionally raised the prospect of a Biden-Putin summit in interviews with U.S. television networks on Sunday, in a bid to keep diplomacy alive, a senior U.S. official said. The official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss U.S. reasoning.

Blinken said that Biden was 'prepared to meet President Putin at any time in any format if that can help prevent a war' and the U.S. official said Macron had then conveyed the offer of talks to Putin - conditioned on Russia not invading - in his phone calls with the Russian leader.

Tensions mounted further, however. The U.S. Embassy in Moscow issued an advisory urging greater caution by Americans in Russia overall. 'Have evacuation plans that do not rely on U.S. government assistance,' it warned.

Immediate worries focused on eastern Ukraine, where Ukrainian forces have been fighting the pro-Russia rebels since 2014 in a conflict that has killed some 14,000 people.

In the eastern Ukraine regions of Lugansk and Donetsk, separatist leaders have ordered a full military mobilization and sent more civilians to Russia, which has issued about 700,000 passports to residents of the rebel-held territories. Claims that Russian citizens are being endangered might be used as justification for military action.

Officials in the separatist territories claimed Ukrainian forces launched several artillery attacks over the past day and that two civilians were killed during an unsuccessful assault on a village near the Russian border. Ukraine's military said two soldiers died in firing from the separatist side on Saturday.

'When tension is escalated to the maximum, as it is now, for example, on the line of contact, then any spark, any unplanned incident or any minor planned provocation can lead to irreparable consequences,' Putin's spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, said in an interview that aired Sunday on Russian state television.

On the front lines, Ukrainian soldiers said they were under orders not to return fire. Zahar Leshushun, peering into the distance with a periscope, had followed the news all day from a trench where he is posted near the town of Zolote.

'Right now, we don't respond to their fire because ...' the soldier said before the sound of an incoming shell interrupted him. 'Oh! They are shooting at us now. They are aiming at the command post.'

Relatives and friends attend a funeral service for Anton Sidorov, a Ukrainian serviceman who was reportedly killed by shelling in eastern Ukraine, at a church in Kiev

Ukrainian servicemen attend a funeral service for Anton Sidorov, a Ukrainian serviceman who was reportedly killed by shelling in eastern Ukraine

Vladimir Putin has used these identical tactics and trickery before when he sparked war in Georgia... the West must punish this thug as he rips apart another nation, writes IAN BIRRELL

When Georgia was on the verge of joining Nato in 2008, Russia's president Vladimir Putin stirred up bitter separatist tensions, made baseless claims of genocide, and carried out military exercises nearby.

His proxies fired pot-shots over the border, then evacuated civilians from areas under their control, on the bogus pretext of saving them from aggression.

There was a short war that ended with Russian tanks 30 miles from the capital Tbilisi and two chunks of the country breaking away as self-declared republics.

But the former KGB chief denied he had any imperial ambitions, insisting Russia had 'no wish or grounds to encroach on the sovereignty of former Soviet republics'.

How hollow those words sound now as history looks set to repeat itself, with this hateful dictator using identical tactics and trickery in Ukraine.

Just as when he invaded and illegally annexed Crimea in 2014, he is operating through proxies to achieve his aims of corroding democracy and thwarting a sovereign nation's desire to find stability under the defensive shield of Nato.

Yet for all his talk of Western influence in Ukraine, Putin's real aim is simple: To prevent democracy from infecting his own blighted citizens and leading them to challenge his corrupt regime, one that has failed them so badly.

Russian President Vladimir Putin signs a document recognising the independence of separatist regions in eastern Ukraine in the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, on Monday

Once again we see Putin's stooges in two breakaway republics –Donetsk and Luhansk in the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine – fabricating attacks and evacuating civilians. 

And, once again, Putin makes phoney assertions of genocide, as well as lying about Ukrainian attacks on mother Russia.

With his customary twisting of the truth, the president claimed last night he had always treated his neighbour in an 'honest way and with respect to Ukraine's interests'.

That could not be further from reality – especially as he signed the decree formally recognising the two republics, paving the way for a possible further invasion that might have cataclysmic consequences for our continent.

The current conflict began in 2014 when a corrupt Russian-backed president of Ukraine fled after pro-democracy protests erupted across the nation following his decision to abandon moves to sign a co-operation deal with the European Union.

Putin reacted to the ousting of his ally by stealing Crimea – the first annexation of sovereign territory in Europe since the Second World War.

He then sent in his tanks and troops when it seemed Ukraine was on the point of crushing rebels that he supported in Donbas.

This led to full-scale fighting, followed by a peace deal known as Minsk 2 that resulted in a 173-mile frontline across eastern Ukraine between the Kiev regime and the two self-declared republics. The conflict, which left 14,000 people dead and two million people displaced, has flickered ever since.

Russian and Belarus soldiers during joint exercises of the armed forces of Russia and Belarus as part of an inspection of the Union State's Response Force, at a firing range near Brest

U.S. Army soldiers assigned to the 82nd Airborne Division, deployed to Poland to reassure NATO allies and deter Russian aggression

The hastily-agreed peace treaty, backed by Putin and signed under pressure by Kiev, was imperfect and never fully implemented. It envisaged 'special status' for the two 'republics' – although their status and political structures were ill-defined – and would have given Russia control over Ukraine's future.

Now Putin has torn up the treaty after a carefully-choreographed routine that began last Tuesday when the lower house of the Russian parliament voted to ask their puppet-master to recognise the separatist regions.

Then the Russian leader called a meeting of his security council, at which ministers and security chiefs lined up to demand recognition of the 'republics'. 'We were left with no choice,' claimed foreign minister Sergey Lavrov.

So what can we deduce from the latest manoeuvres? 

First, that Putin has effectively stolen another chunk of Ukraine and breached international law by undermining another nation's territorial integrity – even if those in charge of the 'republics' have not yet asked to formally join Russia as I write.

However, they have signed a 'friendship and mutual assistance' treaty which means Putin can be asked to send in 'military assistance' or 'peacekeepers' – and last night, in an ominous move, it emerged he has already given an order to send his armed forces into the 'republics'.  

Given the forces massed on the border and his ceaseless lies about Ukrainian attacks and Nato aggression, this could lead to 'defensive' intervention elsewhere in the country. 

Indeed, if full-scale war erupts, the start might be dated to last Thursday when the shelling across the border was massively increased – from an average of five a day to 60 – 66 on Friday, and more than 100 on Saturday.

Meanwhile, Putin claimed last night that 'Ukraine's military strategy is nothing less than the preparation for military actions against Russia' – an absurd suggestion that would be suicidal for Kiev given the imbalance of forces between the two nations.

We must hope the West stands firm and imposes every possible sanction on this brutal thug to punish him as he rips apart a neighbouring nation based on specious historical arguments and makes preparations to invade again on utterly spurious grounds. Pictured: Boris Johnson on Monday

Yet this malevolent dictator – with four yachts and a billion-pound palace on the Black Sea – who has overseen the pillaging of his resource-rich nation by his band of patsy oligarchs, even had the cheek to argue that corruption had eroded Ukrainian 'statehood' and Kiev's politicians were robbing their people.

Having spent five weeks in Ukraine – and having previously been witness to the appalling events of 2014 – I can feel only sorry for all those decent people I have met and interviewed whose only desire is peace and security for themselves, their families and their friends.

And my sorrow extends to a nation that has been struggling to escape the Soviet shadow in pursuit of democracy but is being dismembered by a despot who once worked for the Communist secret police and now seeks to protect himself and his thieving pals from his own people.

We must hope the West stands firm and imposes every possible sanction on this brutal thug to punish him as he rips apart a neighbouring nation based on specious historical arguments and makes preparations to invade again on utterly spurious grounds.