Biden watches Russian troops invade Ukraine.

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Western leaders said Tuesday that Russian troops have moved into rebel-held areas in eastern Ukraine after President Vladimir Putin’s recognized their independence — but some indicated it was not yet the long-feared, full-fledged invasion. For weeks, Western powers have been bracing for an invasion as Russia massed an estimated 150,000 troops 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. The European Union and Britain announced Tuesday that some of those measures were coming. 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. I wonder why the news is calling the troops peacekeepers. Putin is making his move known. He wants to take Ukraine back and have all of its resources. Remember in January Biden said if Russia troops crossed the Ukraine border it would be considered a invasion. But confusion over what exactly was happening in eastern Ukraine threatened to hobble a Western response. “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.” Read more: Western Leaders Allege Russia Sending Troops to East Ukraine | Newsmax.com