The president faced criticism from lawmakers for failing to call Moscow’s aggression an «invasion» even as tanks were seen rolling into Donetsk on Monday night.
President Joe Biden said Tuesday that Russia’s recent actions against Ukraine mark the «beginning of an invasion.» It’s the first time Biden has used the term invasion to describe Putin’s decision to recognize the independence of the so-called Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics—two Russia-backed separatist regions of eastern Ukraine—and send troops to the area. The president faced criticism from lawmakers on both sides of the aisle for failing to deem the move an «invasion» even as tanks were seen rolling into Donetsk on Monday night. The White House’s principal deputy national security adviser Jonathan Finer also beat Biden to the punch, stating Moscow’s aggression was in fact an invasion when pressed by CNN on Tuesday morning. «If you know the history of aggressive dictators, you know it’s critical not to lose clarity.
