The Eastern EU member states such as Poland and the Baltic republics are unequivocally calling the latest Russian moves in the southeast of Ukraine and invasion. As the conversation moves west the level of equivocation about terminology rises. The French seem to prefer incursion. Everybody is holding meetings and forming committees.
Ukraine: emergency UN, Nato, EU meetings after Russian invasion claim Nato says 1,000 Russian troops fighting in Ukraine as Kiev accuses Moscow of de facto invasion and opening second front
World powers have called a succession of emergency meetings to step up the international response to Russia after Kiev accused Moscow of a de facto invasion and of opening up a second front in the conflict in eastern Europe.
The UN security council was meeting in emergency session, and Nato and EU leaders will consider a response on Friday, amid signs that hundreds of Russian soldiers are actively involved in the insurrection against Kiev's rule.
Russia denies that any of its troops are in eastern Ukraine. But on Thursday Nato said it estimated there were now more than 1,000 Russian soldiers fighting in Ukraine. The organisation released satellite images that it said showed Russian armoured vehicles and artillery had been crossing into Ukraine for at least a week.
Not being there it is difficult to cut through all the rhetoric and figure out just what is going on. However, I find it pretty hard to escape the notion that Putin is upping the ante.
Western leaders swiftly seized on the latest escalation by warning Russian president Vladimir Putin of imminent consequences. Angela Merkel, the German chancellor, said the EU would discuss further sanctions at a summit this weekend, particularly in the light of the fresh incursion in which Russia stands accused of funnelling troops and hardware into the south-east of Ukraine.
So what are they going to do? None of the sanctions they have come up with so far seem to have had much impact on Putin and his political popularity in Russia. I don't think it is an exaggeration to say that he is likely taunting western leaders and engaging in a game of chicken. I do not think that the west is prepared to go to war with Russia. The Ukrainian soap could go on for a long time to come.