Volodymyr Zelenskiy warns Ukraine faces existential threat as Biden says US was bringing tough new sanctions against Russia for 'beginning' invasion.
Zelenskiy said that Ukraine is a peaceful country, but its people would not stay quiet in the face of aggression. The UK was willing to introduce other “measures to limit Russia’s ability to trade and prohibit a range of high-tech exports, degrading the development of its military industrial base for years”. We have hard work ahead, every day, but we are read for it, with confidence in ourselves, our country and victory,” he said. US secretary of state Antony Blinken cancelled a meeting planned for Thursday with Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov, saying Russia’s actions indicated it was not serious about a diplomatic path to resolving the crisis. Joe Biden denounced the move as an attempt to carve out “a big chunk” of the country. Volodymyr Zelenskiy ruled out a general mobilisation in an evening address to the nation.
US sanctions target Russia's sovereign debt and two large Russian financial institutions as Ukraine tensions rise.
“There is still time to avert the worst-case scenario that will bring untold suffering to millions of people if they move as suggested,” the US president said. “Who in the Lord’s name does Putin think gives him the right to declare new so-called countries on territory that belongs to his neighbours? “We’ll also impose sanctions on Russia’s elites and their family members. “The United States and our allies and partners remain open to diplomacy – if it is serious.” “That means we’ve cut off Russia’s government from Western financing. In a brief speech on Tuesday, Biden condemned his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin’s decision to recognise the independence of Luhansk and Donetsk and to authorise the deployment of Russian troops to “maintain peace” in the regions.
Prime minister Scott Morrison says Australia 'always stands up to bullies' and there 'must be consequences for Russia's actions'
He said the Russian government “should be called out as thugs and bullies”. The US president, Joe Biden, said he was determined to “cut off Russia’s government from western financing”. “Calling it peacekeeping is quite farcical. It is anything but. “Australians always stand up to bullies,” he said. Senior Labor opposition frontbenchers were briefed by senior officials on Wednesday afternoon.
Putin has sent soldiers on a 'peacekeeping mission' but is likely to threaten Ukraine with a broader war.
And they have made clear that they will not send combat troops to Ukraine. An offensive of that size has not been seen in Europe since the second world war. They include the large city of Mariupol, which is on the other side of the frontlines. Moscow will now threaten Ukraine with a broader war if it continues to fight against the “separatists”, telling Kyiv that Russia is now obliged by treaty to defend them from attack. More than 14,000 people have died in the fighting that has occurred since 2014. A document signed by Putin on Monday also allows him to establish military bases or place missiles in the territories.
Officials tread water over recognised borders of self-proclaimed republics in Luhansk and Donetsk until Putin's statement. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov.
While normally you would expect a state signing a similar treaty to recognise the others’ territorial claims, he added: “We shouldn’t get ahead of ourselves.” “I’ll tell you that the question was not discussed,” he admitted a bit sheepishly. And, not knowing that Vladimir Putin would weigh that evening to settle the question in favour of the expanded borders, Peskov was making a hash of it. He could not explain if Russia had recognised the self-proclaimed republics of Donetsk and Luhansk up to their current borders, or with claims on further Ukrainian land. “I have nothing to add to this,” Peskov replied. For nearly a day, officials were treading water.
Analysis: advance forces' battle readiness will quickly degrade, giving Putin only days to choose invasion or retreat.
But, either way, military pressures mean the next few days are likely to be significant. They will assess our responses. Latvia’s defence minister, Artis Pabriks, agreed the next few days were crucial.
Analysis: The west will adopt step-by-step approach, leaving toughest sanctions as last resort.
Targeting the Russian financial sector would be the next most obvious step. The west’s problem is that sanctions against Russia come at a cost, and that cost goes up as the regime is tightened. The response to Boris Johnson’s announcement that five of the less important Russian banks and three individuals would be targeted was: is that it?
EU foreign policy chief Borrell says the sanctions unanimously agreed by 27 member states will hurt Russia.
“The sanctions will hurt Russia and will hurt a lot,” Borrell said at a press conference with French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian. The 27 members of the European Union unanimously agreed on the measures at an informal meeting in Paris on the sidelines of an international forum, Josep Borrell said on Tuesday. EU members have agreed upon a package of new sanctions against Russia that aims to inflict severe damage on the country after its recognition of breakaway regions in Ukraine, the EU foreign policy chief has said.
'We will go further,' UK Foreign Secretary Liz Truss confirms. BELGIUM-EU-BRITAIN-BREXIT-DIPLOMACY.
"We have more individuals that we will target in the event of a full-scale invasion of Ukraine," Truss said in her interview. The government is also looking to target more Russian banks, after sanctioning five on Tuesday. "We're going to limit Russian access to British markets.
We'll send you a myFT Daily Digest email rounding up the latest War in Ukraine news every morning. If Vladimir Putin thought his invasion by decree would slip ...