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 […]
Tag: conflict
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
US sanctions Russia for crisis in Ukraine
by Frankie TAGGART Agence France Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — US President Joe Biden on Tuesday announced tough new sanctions against Russia for “beginning” an invasion of Ukraine but said there was still time to avoid war, even as Vladimir Putin signaled plans to send troops beyond Russia’s borders. Japan and Australia followed suit early Wednesday with their own stringent penalties for Moscow and individuals connected with the aggression against Ukraine, with Australian […]
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. […]
Most Asian markets rise after Russia sanctions but nerves on edge
HONG KONG, China (AFP) — Equities mostly rose Wednesday and oil prices stabilized as investors tracked developments in the Russia-Ukraine crisis after world powers imposed less harsh sanctions on Moscow than feared. However, trading floors remain on edge after Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered his forces into Ukraine to secure the self-declared Donetsk and Lugansk rebel republics, with Western leaders warning that a war could break out imminently. Global markets have been in turmoil since […]
Australia sanctions top Russian officials for ‘unprovoked’ Ukraine invasion
SYDNEY, Australia (AFP) – Australia announced sanctions on eight of President Vladimir Putin’s top security advisors on Wednesday following Russia’s “unwarranted, unprovoked, unacceptable” invasion of Ukraine. Pillorying Putin’s decision to order troops into breakaway Kremlin-backed statelets in Ukraine’s east, Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced a suite of sanctions that closely echoed moves from other US allies. Eight members of Russia’s security council will face sanctions, including travel bans, and Australia will move to target military-linked […]
Putin says deployment of troops to Ukraine depends on ‘situation on the ground’
Russian President Vladimir Putin said Tuesday that his decision to send troops to eastern Ukraine would depend on the situation on the ground. “I didn’t say that the troops would go there right after our meeting with you here,” he told reporters. “Secondly, it’s impossible to predict any specific outline of possible actions at all, it depends on the specific situation that is developing on the spot, on the ground.” oc/as/yad © Agence France-Presse





