Ukraine conflict: Biden sanctions Russia for 'invasion'

The United States hit Russia hard with what President Joe Biden called "the beginning of Russia's invasion of Ukraine."

"We cut off the Russian government from Western funding," Biden said. This comes after Russian politicians authorized President Vladimir Putin to deploy troops to the two rebel-held parts of eastern Ukraine.

Russia has recognized the territory as an independent territory - a move Ukraine says is an attack on its sovereignty. Western countries largely saw the move as a pretext for a wider invasion. On Monday, Putin ordered troops to attack the breakaway regions of Donetsk and Luhansk to "maintain the peace," a description the United States has called "nonsense."

Satellite images from the past 1 day show some new troops and equipment stationed in western Russia, as well as more than 100 vehicles at an airport in Belarus near the Ukrainian border, according to US space company Maxar. The Russian military has not commented and it is not clear whether Russian troops have been deployed to eastern Ukraine.

Announcing the "first phase" of its action aimed directly at the Russian state, Biden said on Tuesday, "Simply put, Russia has just announced that it is seceding from most of Ukraine."

The measures include sanctions on Russia's external debt, meaning the country can no longer raise money for its government financing from Western financial institutions. 

"They share the corrupt profits of Kremlin policies and have to share the pain," Biden said. The United States has banned American companies from working with the rebel-held Donetsk and Luhansk regions of Ukraine -- but few companies have done so.

Britain and the European Union also announced a wave of sanctions against Russian banks and individuals Tuesday morning.