Russia-Ukraine updates: US says Russian forces 'as ready as they can be' to invade

"We believe that they are ready," said Pentagon press secretary John Kirby.
Biden: 'This is the beginning of a Russian invasion' in Ukraine

The U.S. president retaliated against Vladimir Putin's push into two Kremlin-controlled regions of Ukraine by announcing new sanctions and said he would send additional U.S. troops to the region.

To address the crisis at its border after publicly downplaying warnings, Ukraine on Wednesday took steps to brace for a possible Russian invasion, declaring a nationwide state of emergency and calling up 36,000 military reservists.

U.S. President Joe Biden said a day earlier that the world is witnessing "the beginning of a Russian invasion of Ukraine" as he announced new economic sanctions on Russia, after weeks of escalating tensions in the region.

Biden's remarks followed a fiery address from Russian President Vladimir Putin to the Russian public on Monday evening, when the leader announced he was recognizing the independence of two Russia-backed separatist areas in eastern Ukraine's Donbas region -- the self-proclaimed People’s Republics of Donetsk and Luhansk -- which prompted a set of sanctions from Western countries, including Germany halting approval of a major gas pipeline from Russia.

While the United States says some 190,000 Russian troops and pro-Russian separatist forces are estimated to be massed near Ukraine's borders, Russia has denied any wrongdoing and reiterated its demands that Ukraine pledges to never join NATO.