World leaders like the President of the United States, Joe Biden; and his counterpart in the UK, Boris Johnson, have spoken against Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Russian President, Vladimir Putin, on Thursday, announced a military operation in Ukraine.
Earlier today, Russian military vehicles entered Ukraine through Crimea, according to a video released by the Ukrainian Border Guard.
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A live-streamed video from the Belarus border crossing showed a column of troops and military vehicles crossing into Ukraine. The video was shot around 6:48 a.m. local time at the crossing between Senkivka, Ukraine, and Veselovka, Belarus, CNN reports.
Reacting to the development, US President, Joe Biden, condemned the military invasion by Russia, describing it as “an unprovoked and unjustified attack on Ukraine”.
Biden said, “President Putin has chosen a premeditated war that will bring a catastrophic loss of life and human suffering. Russia alone is responsible for the death and destruction this attack will bring, and the United States and its Allies and partners will respond in a united and decisive way. The world will hold Russia accountable.”
According to a senior Biden administration official, the US and its allies are planning on Thursday to trigger the “full scale” of the sanctions that have been discussed over the last several weeks in response to the attack.
Also, the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Boris Jonson, told Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelensky, in a phone call on Thursday that “the West would not stand by as President Putin waged his campaign against the Ukrainian people.”
Johnson and Zelensky spoke over the phone after Russia’s attack on Ukraine in the early hours of Thursday, according to a statement tweeted by Downing Street.
Johnson told Zelensky on the call that “he was appalled by the unfolding events in Ukraine,” said the statement.
It added that Johnson hoped “Ukraine could resist,” and that the United Kingdom had Ukrainians in their thoughts “during this dark time.”
Also, the Japanese Prime Minister, Fumio Kishida, on Thursday condemned Russia’s invasion of eastern Ukraine, saying it “shakes the foundations of the international order.”
While explosion rocked some parts of Ukraine, the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense has said its forces are countering the Russian offensive “with dignity” and inflicting losses on Moscow’s troops.
The minister said, “National Defence Forces, using the right for self-defense according to the article 51 of the United Nations Charter, are countering with dignity the enemy’s attempts to break through the state border. The situation is controlled; the Russian troops are suffering losses.”
The Ministry also said there had been “no losses among the defenders of Ukraine.”
