Oil surged past $105 per barrel and equities tumbled Thursday after key crude producer Russia sent forces into Ukraine, accelerating fears of a major war in eastern Europe. Asian and European stock markets nosedived — with Frankfurt shedding five percent in mid-afternoon trading — as investors fled risky equities, while haven investment, gold, rose to just over $1,955 per ounce. After weeks of warnings from the United States and other powers, Russian President Vladimir Putin […]
Europe
NATO activating ‘defence plans’ for allies as Russia invades Ukraine
NATO is activating its “defence plans” for allied countries as Russia attacks non-NATO member Ukraine, alliance chief Jens Stoltenberg told a media conference on Thursday. Stoltenberg also confirmed that NATO will hold a video summit on Friday to discuss the Russian invasion of its pro-Western neighbour. And he reiterated that NATO had no “plans” to send alliance troops to Ukraine. It is the first time the alliance has publicly said it is activating its defence […]
Biden meets with G7, addresses US on response to Russia
US President Joe Biden was meeting with G7 allies Thursday to hammer out a raft of new sanctions against Russia after it invaded Ukraine, and will later speak to the American people on a crisis that he warns will cause “catastrophic loss of life.” The virtual, closed-door meeting of G7 leaders — Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States — was set to start at 9:00 am (1400 GMT), with Biden’s White […]
Despite West’s help, Ukraine forces vastly outnumbered by Russia
by Stuart WILLIAMS / Daphne BENOIT / Valerie LEROUX Agence France Presse PARIS, France (AFP) — Ukraine’s armed forces find themselves vastly outnumbered and outmatched in firepower by their Russian opponents, despite growing military assistance for Kyiv’s troops by the West. Russian President Vladimir Putin, whose country had massed some 150,000 troops on the border in recent months, on Thursday ordered military operations against Ukraine. There are also, according to Western estimates, some 30,000 Russian […]
Eighteen killed in attack near Ukraine’s Odessa
KYIV, Ukraine (AFP) — Eighteen people died Thursday in an air strike on a military base near Ukraine’s Black Sea port city of Odessa, the local administration said. “Eighteen died — eight men and 10 women. At the moment, we are still digging through the rubble,” the Odessa regional administration said in a statement. The attack came on the first day of an invasion of Ukraine that President Vladimir Putin launched after sparring for […]
Russian ground forces cross into Ukraine: border guards
Russia’s ground forces on Thursday crossed into Ukraine from several directions, Ukraine’s border guard service said, hours after President Vladimir Putin announced the launch of a major offensive. Russian tanks and other heavy equipment crossed the frontier in several northern regions, as well as from the Kremlin-annexed peninsula of Crimea in the south, the agency said. It said one of its servicemen died in a shelling attack along the Crimean border, the first officially confirmed […]
Oil tops $100, havens rally, stocks drop as Russia invades Ukraine
Oil prices broke past $100 and safe havens surged while equities tumbled Thursday after Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a “military operation” in Ukraine, accelerating fears of a major war. Markets have been hammered this week after the Kremlin recognised two breakaway regions in eastern Ukraine and said it would provide “peacekeepers” to the regions, leading to warnings of a conflagration. The Russian president said in a surprise statement on television: “I have made the […]
Unprovoked and unjustified:’ world reacts to attack on Ukraine
World leaders on Thursday condemned the Russian invasion of Ukraine, with Western capitals vowing to escalate sanctions against Moscow while the head of the United Nations demanded the conflict end immediately. Key reactions: – US President Joe Biden – “The prayers of the entire world are with the people of Ukraine tonight as they suffer an unprovoked and unjustified attack by Russian military forces,” Biden said shortly after the operation began. He warned “Russia alone is […]
Biden says ‘world will hold Russia accountable’ over Ukraine attack
US President Joe Biden on Wednesday said the “world will hold Russia accountable” over a military onslaught against Ukraine that he warned will cause “catastrophic loss of life.” In a statement issued shortly after Russian President Vladimir Putin announced the start of military operations in Ukraine, Biden said he would address the US public Thursday to outline the “consequences” for Russia, calling the attack “unprovoked and unjustified.” Biden also held a phone call with his […]
UN chief appeals to Russia’s Pres. Putin to withdraw troops from Ukraine, warns of devastating global impact
UN Secretary General Guterres: “This conflict must stop now” (Eagle News) – United Nations Secretary General once again appealed to Russian President Vladimir Putin, this time asking him to “bring back” his troops to Russia to avoid devastating consequences of a war in Ukraine that would have an impact globally. “This is the saddest moment in my tenure the Secretary General of the United Nations. I started this meeting of the Security Council addressing […]
Russia’s Putin announces ‘military operation’ in Ukraine
Russian President Vladimir Putin announced Thursday a military operation in Ukraine to defend separatists in the east of the country, and “demilitarise and de-nazify” its pro-Western neighbour. “I have made the decision of a military operation,” he said in a surprise statement on television shortly before 6 am (0300 GMT). He went on to denounce what he called a “genocide” orchestrated by Ukraine in the country’s east, as well as NATO’s aggressive policy towards Russia. “For […]
Putin says Russia’s interests ‘non-negotiable’
MOSCOW, Russia (AFP) – Russian President Vladimir Putin said Wednesday that Moscow was ready to look for “diplomatic solutions” amid raging tensions with the West over Ukraine but stressed that the country’s interests were non-negotiable. “Our country is always open for direct and honest dialogue, for the search for diplomatic solutions to the most complex problems,” Putin said in a video address to mark the Defender of the Fatherland Day, a public holiday in Russia. […]





