The U.S. federal government has called the Russian President Vladimir Putin’s deployment of troops into Ukraine an “invasion.” In 2014, Russia annexed the Crimean Peninsula, so they already have invaded Ukraine in the past. He had claimed that Crimea was a part of Russia, so he was justified for reclaiming it. The U.S. and the EU have both put sanctions on Russia and have stated that the sanctions will increase if Putin exacerbates the conflict. 

Specifically, Joe Biden said that Russia was violating international law by invading Ukraine, and they would receive severe financial sanctions. As Commander in Chief, Biden will order the U.S. military to occupy the Baltic states, which borders Russia. 

In Ukraine itself, Russian troops have occupied Donetsk and Lugansk. Putin justified his move as an attempt to maintain the peace because Donetsk and Lugansk are both self-proclaimed break-away states from Ukraine. Putin states that he is protecting them from Ukrainian aggression. Prime Minister Boris Johnson stated that Russia has already deployed their tanks into the eastern region of Ukraine.

The President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, reassured his country and stated that they did not need to fully mobilize their military. He is still communicating with the country’s military in case of a complete Russian invasion.