Europe

Western allies agree new financial sanctions against Russia

  WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Western allies on Saturday agreed on a new volley of financial sanctions against Russia over its invasion of Ukraine, including taking the key step of banishing a number of Russian banks from the SWIFT interbank system. In a joint statement, the White House said the group of world powers were “resolved to continue imposing costs on Russia that will further isolate Russia from the international financial system and our […]

Defiant Zelensky vows ‘I’m here’ after Russian attack

After Ukrainian forces said they had repulsed a Russian attack on their capital Saturday, President Volodymyr Zelensky shot a selfie-style video to vow to stay and fight on. “I am here. We will not lay down any weapons. We will defend our state, because our weapons are our truth,” he declared, denouncing as disinformation claims that he had surrendered or fled. “A lot of fake information has appeared on the internet saying that I allegedly […]

Ukrainian and Russian forces fight over capital Kyiv

  by Dave CLARK and Dmytro GORSHKOV Agence France Presse KYIV, Ukraine (AFP) — Ukrainian soldiers repulsed a Russian attack in the capital, the military said early Saturday, only hours after President Volodymyr Zelensky warned that Moscow would attempt to take Kyiv before dawn. Russian leader Vladimir Putin unleashed a full-scale invasion on Thursday that has killed dozens of people, forced more than 50,000 to flee Ukraine in just 48 hours and sparked fears of […]

Russia blocks Security Council action on Ukraine

UN Photo/Mark Garten Security Council votes on draft resolution on Ukraine, 25 February 2022. Russia vetoed a UN Security Council resolution on Friday that would have demanded that Moscow immediately stop its attack on Ukraine and withdraw all troops, a move several Council members said was deplorable, but inevitable. Although Russia, a permanent member of the Council, refused to support the draft resolution, eleven of the 15-member UN body voted in favour while India, China and […]

UN civil aviation council ‘condemns’ Russian violation of Ukraine airspace

  The UN’s civil aviation body condemned on Friday the “violation” of Ukraine’s territory and airspace after Russia invaded. The 36 states on the International Civil Aviation Organization Council (ICAO) “condemned the violation of the territorial integrity and sovereignty of a United Nations Member State, including its airspace,” the agency said in a statement after a meeting of its governing body. It said the invasion also violated Article 1 of the Chicago Convention, which established […]

NATO deploys response force for first time

NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg said Friday the alliance was deploying its rapid response force for the first time ever to bolster defences in the face of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. “It is still a fluid situation. What we have seen is that the Ukrainian forces are fighting bravely and are actually able to inflict damage on the invading Russian forces,” Stoltenberg said after a video summit of NATO leaders. “It is a full invasion of Ukraine. […]

US says in talks with India on its stance over Ukraine

  The United States is in discussions with India over its position on the Russian invasion of Ukraine, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Friday, as New Delhi has yet to clearly condemn Moscow’s assault. “We continue to engage with the Indians,” Psaki told reporters. On Thursday, when asked about the issue by a reporter, President Joe Biden admitted: “We haven’t resolved that completely.” In telephone talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday, […]

Russia vetoes UN resolution deploring ‘aggression’ in Ukraine

  by Philippe RATER and Peter HUTCHISON Russia, as expected, vetoed a UN Security Council resolution on Friday that deplored “in the strongest terms” the country’s “aggression” against Ukraine and demanded the immediate withdrawal of its troops. Eleven of the council’s 15 members voted for the motion, which was co-written by the United States and Albania. China, India and the United Arab Emirates abstained. The resolution was always doomed to fail because of Moscow’s veto […]

US to impose sanctions on Putin and Lavrov

The United States said Friday it would impose sanctions on Russian President Vladimir Putin and Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, following similar announcements by Britain and the European Union in the wake of Moscow’s attack on Ukraine. White House press secretary Jen Psaki said that a travel ban would be part of the sanctions. Following the spate of measures, Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Russian television that “we have reached the line after […]

Ukraine warns Russia to ‘storm’ Kyiv as West sanctions Putin

by Dave CLARK and Dmytro GORSHKOV Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky warned Saturday that Russian troops would attempt to take the capital Kyiv before dawn, as Western nations announced personal sanctions targeting Vladimir Putin. Russian leader Putin unleashed a full-scale invasion on Thursday that has killed dozens of people, forced more than 50,000 to flee Ukraine in just 48 hours and sparked fears of a new Cold War in Europe. After Ukrainian forces fought Russian troops […]

Czechs, Poland, Bulgaria to close airspace to Russian flights

  The Czech Republic, Poland and Bulgaria each said Friday they would close their airspace to flights by Russian carriers in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, starting from midnight. Earlier Friday the Polish airline LOT had already halted flights to Moscow and Saint Petersburg. “As of midnight today, we are halting the traffic of all Russian airline companies in Czech airspace,” Czech Transport Minister Martin Kupka tweeted. Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said on […]

France to send 500 troops to Romania

  France is to deploy 500 military personnel as part of NATO forces to Romania after Russia invaded neighbouring Ukraine, the army chief of staff said Friday. “NATO has decided to reinforce its presence to send a very clear sign of strategic solidarity, to position forces in Romania,” Thierry Burkhard told Radio France Internationale and broadcaster France24. “We will send around 500 men with armoured vehicles.” He said France would also maintain a military presence […]