Kyiv braces for conflict, West sanctions Russia after Putin orders troops into eastern Ukraine

The world was facing up to a new phase in the Ukraine crisis on Tuesday, with Kyiv bracing for a potential conflict with Russia and the West moving to impose sanctions on Moscow.

Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered troops into two breakaway regions in eastern Ukraine after recognizing their independence Monday, threatening a major escalation following months of military buildup and warnings from the West that the Kremlin was trying to create a pretext to invade its neighbor. 

Moscow drew swift international condemnation, with the U.S. now calling the move an “invasion,” two Biden administration officials told NBC News.

Washington and its allies vowed sanctions would follow, as the West signaled that Moscow may face a hard-hitting response in an effort to not only punish the move in eastern Ukraine but ward off any further incursion.

Germany halted the crucial Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline to deliver Russian natural gas to Europe, with Chancellor Olaf Scholz saying he would suspend the certification process of the project over what he called a “serious break of international law.”