Biden’s Russia warnings come to pass - what now for the US president?

For weeks, Joe Biden has issued urgent warnings that a Russian invasion of Ukraine could happen at any moment. The moment came overnight, when Russian troops began attacking Ukraine by land, air and sea.

For the US president - increasingly embattled at home by a resurgent Republican party - it was evidence that the White House had largely assessed the Ukraine crisis correctly, even though their preference would have been to be wrong about their predictions of a disastrous war in Europe.

Now the conflict has dumped a huge foreign policy crisis into an already difficult second year in office for Biden, with a likely backlash looming in November's midterm elections. With few exceptions, though, he largely has the Democratic party behind him and the Republicans are split, with many backing Biden even as others take various potshots at his presidency.

But, for the moment, there is the immediate invasion to deal with.

On Thursday morning, Biden met in the Situation Room with his National Security Council to discuss the latest developments in Ukraine. He then met virtually with the leaders of the G7, where they agreed to move forward on "devastating packages of sanctions". Biden was preparing to deliver remarks from the East Room of the White House this afternoon.

"President Putin has chosen a premeditated war that will bring a catastrophic loss of life and human suffering," Biden said in a statement. "Russia alone is responsible for the death and destruction this attack will bring, and the United States and its allies and partners will respond in a united and decisive way. The world will hold Russia accountable."

Biden has pledged that the US would not send troops to Ukraine, warning that to do so would risk a wider war in Europe. But the US has provided arms supplies and sent additional troops to the Baltic states as part of his promise to "defend every inch of Nato territory".