Is it “the beginning of a Russian invasion” in Ukraine, as Biden says? What we know until this Wednesday

(CNN) — US President Joe Biden described events in Ukraine as “the beginning of a Russian invasion” as he announced new sanctions to punish Moscow a day after President Vladimir Putin ordered troops into pro-Russian regions of eastern Ukraine. .

If you are catching up on the crisis in Ukraine and Russia, here is a summary of the most important:

Ukraine-Russia tensions: what we know until this Wednesday, February 23

• The US secretary of state said he has canceled his meeting with the Russian foreign minister, which was scheduled for Thursday in Geneva.
• Russian President Vladimir Putin said Wednesday that the country’s interests and security are “non-negotiable.” but that Moscow is open to dialogue “to find diplomatic solutions to the most difficult problems.”

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• The Russian Embassy in London denied that his troops entered any disputed territory. In a strong response to the UK sanctions on Wednesday, the embassy said “it is well known that they have not entered those territories.”
• Moscow also rated UK sanctions as “illegal”.

• As for US sanctions, Russia warned they will damage global financial and energy marketsand that “ordinary Americans will feel the consequences too.”
• New satellite images from Maxar Technologies show that, in recent days, Russia has deployed troopsvehicles and additional logistics infrastructure on the border with Ukraine.
• Ukraine announced a state of emergency which will enter into force in all parts of the country within 48 hours and will last 30 days.

• Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba called for more sanctions, while other western nations also announced more sanctions against Russia following in the footsteps of Washingtonand Germany halted progress on the controversial Nord Stream 2 pipeline following Moscow’s actions in eastern Ukraine.

• France praised Germany’s move and said there are “infinitely more punishing” sanctions in store for Russia that Europe can reveal when the time comes.
• Australia also announced sanctions for the Lugansk and Donetsk regionsaimed at sectors ranging from transport to energy and telecommunications.

• canberra too imposed travel bans and financial sanctions specific to eight members of the Security Council of the Russian Federation.
• Japan also imposed sanctionssuspended the issuance of visas and froze assets of selected persons linked to the recognition of the independence of Donetsk and Luhansk.
• On the other hand, China criticized Western sanctions on Russia and said he won’t do the same.