Biden, Congress prepare to respond to Russia’s attacks on Ukraine

WASHINGTON — If it’s Thursday … The Russian invasion of Ukraine begins. … Dozens are already killed. … President Biden says the world will hold Russia accountable. …Domestically, oil prices surge. … U.S. Covid vaccinations plummet. … Democrats enjoy their best redistricting day after developments in North Carolina and Pennsylvania, per the Cook Report’s Dave Wasserman. … Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., is up with his first TV ad. … And CPAC is back.

But first: Here’s NBC News’ reporting on the unfolding situation in Ukraine:

“Ukraine is in a fight for its very survival as a nation,” NBC’s Richard Engel said on “Today” this morning.

“The first blasts rang out just minutes after Russian President Vladimir Putin gave a televised speech Wednesday evening saying that he was authorizing military action. He warned other countries that if they tried to intervene they would face a Russian response ‘so severe that no foreign nations have ever experienced it before,” NBC’s Yuliya Talmazan and Alexander Smith report.

Ukraine’s government says 40 of its soldiers and fewer than 10 civilians have been killed. (NBC News has not been able to confirm that report of casualties.)

President Biden released a statement a little after 10:20 p.m. ET, saying that Putin “has chosen a premeditated war that will bring a catastrophic loss of life and human suffering.”

More from the Biden 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 also spoke with Ukrainian President Zelenskyy last night and is expected to address Americans today.

The U.S. House of Representatives today will receive an all-member, unclassified briefing call from key Biden administration officials on the situation with Ukraine, per NBC’s Julie Tsirkin. This will follow an already-reported call with U.S. senators at 5:00 p.m. ET.

“Oil prices popped more than 5 percent on news that Russia was launching a military attack in Ukraine,” CNBC says. “U.S. crude futures jumped by 5.23 percent to trade at $96.92 per barrel. Brent crude futures were up 5.4 percent at $102.07 per barrel, crossing the $100 level for the first time since 2014.”

And with eyes on how the international community is responding, what was former President Donald Trump’s take during a phone interview last night with Fox News? That Putin was emboldened by “the weakness and the incompetence and the stupidity of this administration. … It all happened because of a rigged election.”