After days of escalating tensions and threats, Vladimir Putin’s Russia attacked Ukraine in the early hours of Thursday (24).
Shortly after Putin authorized a military operation in eastern Ukraine’s breakaway regions in a televised address, explosions and sirens were heard in several cities across the country, according to reports from CNN in the country.
In his speech, Putin justified the action by stating that Russia could not “tolerate threats from Ukraine”. Putin urged Ukrainian soldiers to “put down your weapons and go home”. The Russian leader further stated that he will not accept any kind of foreign interference.
The reaction of the international community was immediate. In a statement released by the White House early on Thursday, President Joe Biden said that “Russia alone is responsible for the death and destruction that this attack will bring.”
“I will meet (this Thursday) with the leaders of the G7, and the United States and our allies and partners will impose severe sanctions on Russia,” Biden said shortly after speaking on the phone with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
The European Union also criticized the attacks. According to the head of the bloc’s Executive Committee, Ursula von der Leye, the European Union will hold Moscow responsible for the “unjustified” attack on Ukraine.
“In these dark hours, our thoughts are with Ukraine and the innocent women, men and children who face this unprovoked attack and fear for their lives,” von der Leye said on Twitter.
EU leaders are due to hold an emergency summit in Brussels on Thursday after a first round of EU sanctions on Russia took effect on Wednesday. NATO ambassadors also scheduled an emergency meeting for this Thursday.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said “the UK and our allies will respond decisively”. already the Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said on Thursday that the situation in Ukraine was “tense” and that he would work with the G7 countries on the matter.
China remained cautious. China’s ambassador to the United Nations Zhang Jun urged all parties involved in the Ukraine-Russia crisis to “keep a cool head and be rational”.
“It is especially important at the moment to avoid escalating tensions,” Zhang told an emergency UN Security Council meeting on Wednesday night. “All parties involved must exercise restraint and avoid further escalation of tensions,” he said, adding that China believes the “door to a peaceful solution to the Ukraine issue is not fully closed.”
O UN secretary general, Antonio Guterresasked the President of Russia, Vladimir Putinto stop “attacking Ukraine” and give peace a chance.
Amid the explosions reported by CNN reporters, the Russian military denied that Ukrainian cities were under attack. “The Russian Armed Forces are not launching missiles or artillery attacks on Ukrainian cities. High-precision weapons destroy military infrastructure: military airfields, aviation, air defense facilities of the Armed Forces of Ukraine,” a Russian statement said. “The civilian population is not at risk.”
Russian-backed separatists also took action and said on Thursday they had launched an offensive in the Ukrainian-held town of Shchastia in Luhansk province.
The US Department of Defense is tracking the incursion of Belarus troops into Ukraine. In recent weeks, Russia has amassed a significant number of troops, vehicles and tanks in Belarus, close to the border with Ukraine. During this period, the two countries carried out joint military exercises in all countries and near the Belarus-Ukraine border.
Russia has suspended domestic flights to and from several airports near its border with Ukraine, according to the federal aviation agency Rosaviatsiya.
Asian markets are already reacting to Russia’s action in Ukraine. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index opened down 3.2%. Korea’s Kospi was down 2.7%. Japan’s Nikkei 225 lost 2.4% after returning from a holiday. China’s Shanghai Composite fell 0.9%.
US stock futures also fell. Dow futures are down up to 780 points, or 2.4%. S&P 500 and Nasdaq futures were down 2.3% and 2.8%, respectively.
Broad losses followed a sharp decline on Wall Street on Wednesday. The Dow closed more than 464 points, or 1.4%, recording its fifth straight day of losses. The S&P 500 and Nasdaq were down 1.8% and 2.6%, respectively.
(With information from Mathias Broteto, CNN Special Envoy to Kiev, CNN International and Reuters)
Source: CNN Brasil
I’m James Harper, a highly experienced and accomplished news writer for World Stock Market. I have been writing in the Politics section of the website for over five years, providing readers with up-to-date and insightful information about current events in politics. My work is widely read and respected by many industry professionals as well as laymen.
