US President Joe Biden described the events underway in Ukraine as "the beginning of a Russian invasion" as he announced new sanctions to punish Moscow Tuesday.

The US secretary of state said he canceled his meeting with Russia's foreign minister, which was set to take place Thursday in Geneva.

The UK, Japan and Australia also plan to impose sanctions against Russia, and Germany has stopped the progression of the controversial Nord Stream 2 pipeline following Moscow’s actions in eastern Ukraine.

Ukraine is set to introduce a state of emergency across all parts of the country under government control.