White House says “an invasion” underway in Ukraine and “swift and severe” sanctions against Russia coming, as lawmakers give Putin permission to use force outside the country

Simon Ateba is Chief White House Correspondent for Today News Africa. Simon covers President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, the U.S. government, the United Nations, the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank and other financial and international institutions in Washington D.C. and New York City.