Russia-Ukraine War LIVE News: Russian bomb site in Kyiv LIVE; Russia Bans UK Flights

India and China abstained from the Security Council vote condemning the invasion of Ukraine.

With a military intervention in Ukraine off the table, and countries around the world looking to heap more financial punishment on Moscow, the United States, Britain and European Union said Friday they will move to sanction Russian President Vladimir Putin and Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. The EU’s unanimous decision, part of a broader sanctions package, indicated that Western powers are moving toward unprecedented measures to try to force Putin to stop the brutal invasion of Russia’s neighbor and from unleashing a major war in Europe. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson also told NATO leaders during a call Friday that Britain would move to impose sanctions against Putin and Lavrov. The EU said it would move to freeze Putin’s assets.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki indicated that U.S. sanctions will include a travel ban. President Joe Biden, who had previously said sanctions targeting Putin were under consideration, decided to make the move in the last 24 hours after talks with European leaders.

AP

Amid the growing tensions between Moscow and Kyiv, US State Department spokesperson Ned Price said that Russia’s diplomacy takes place at the barrel of a gun and termed it “not real diplomacy.” “Moscow engaged in a pretence of diplomacy that was before the invasion started. Now we see Moscow suggesting that diplomacy take place at the barrel of a gun or as Moscow’s rocket, mortars target the Ukrainian people, this is not real diplomacy,” US State Department spokesperson Ned Price said during the press briefing. Price highlighted that Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has repeatedly reached out to US President Joe Biden.

US President Joe Biden on Friday (local time) said that the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) will maintain its “open door” to those European states who share its values and who one day may seek to join our Alliance. Biden’s remarks came after he met with leaders from NATO Allies to discuss their shared commitment to collective defense and Transatlantic security, the White House said in a statement. “As President Putin threatens the very foundations of international peace and security, NATO is once again demonstrating that it stands for freedom and democracy,” Biden said. He highlighted that the United States will defend “every inch of NATO territory”. Our commitment to Article 5 is ironclad. I have ordered the deployment of additional forces to augment our capabilities in Europe to support our NATO Allies, Biden said.

(ANI)

Spokesperson for the United States Department of State, Ned Price on Friday said that India has a distinct relationship with Russia but added he has appealed to every country to use that leverage in a constructive way. “We have a broad strategic partnership with India, share values. India has a relationship with Russia that is distinct from the relationship that we’ve with Russia which is okay. What we’ve asked every country is to use that leverage in a constructive way,” he said. Further, he added that Russia will be isolated at the world level as several countries have now imposed sanctions.

Criminal ransomware operators are posting messages on the dark web pledging to launch retaliatory cyberattacks if Russia is attacked. The ransomware group Conti, which experts say has ties to Russia, said in a note on its dark website Friday that it would “use all our possible resources to strike back at the critical infrastructures of an enemy.” Ransomware gangs are mostly Russian-speaking and operate with near impunity out of Russia and allied countries. In a follow-up note, the Conti group stressed it was not an ally of any government and said: “we condemn the ongoing war.” Major ransomware attacks in the last year, including against the biggest U.S. fuel pipeline, have underscored how gangs of extortionist hackers can disrupt the economy and put lives and livelihoods at risk. The U.S. government has been warning critical infrastructure entities to prepare for possible attacks and to make sure their defences are up to date. Non-state hackers have promised to be active on both sides of the Russia-Ukraine conflict. The online collective Anonymous recently pledged to conduct cyberattacks to support Ukraine.

(AP)

White House Press Secy Jen Psaki said that the United States will join the European Union in sanctioning Russian President Vladimir Putin and Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba on Friday called External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and urged New Delhi to use “all influence in its relations with Moscow” for ending military operations against Ukraine. The Foreign Minister also urged India as a non-permanent UNSC member to support the draft resolution on “restoring peace in Ukraine”.

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Friday discussed the sanctions, defence assistance and an anti-war coalition with US President Joe Biden. “Strengthening sanctions, concrete defence assistance and an anti-war coalition have just been discussed with @POTUS. Grateful to for the strong support to Ukraine,” Zelenskyy tweeted. The White House confirmed that the meeting ran from 11:52 am to 12:32 pm ET.

In a televised address, Putin claimed that the Ukraine administration was deploying Multiple Launch Rocker System (MLRS ) in regions like Kyiv and Kharkov, even as Russia itself stands accused of attacking and bombing civilian areas in its invasion of Ukraine. 

“Right-wing Banderites and neo-Nazis in Ukraine are putting up heavy weapons, including multiple launch rocket systems, right in the central districts of major cities, including Kyiv and Kharkiv”, said the Russian President in the address to the nation. He added in the televised address that Russian servicemen in Ukraine were acting “bravely, professionally and heroically.”

“We are sending a clear message to Russia on providing support to Ukraine. Article 5 of the Washington treaty will be intact and we are committed to it. Eastern part of alliance, many planes are deployed there. We have the US who have assigned thousands of troops. We are helping Ukraine with maritime and this is the first time that NATO is collectively deploying troops to a nation,” said NATO Secretary-General Stoltenberg.

He added, “The US has additionally deployed forces. We are not deploying the whole thing but we have deployed the lead elements of forces.”

We have met today to discuss the gravest threat to Euro-Atlantic security in decades. We condemn in the strongest possible terms Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, enabled by Belarus. We call on Russia to immediately cease its military assault, to withdraw all its forces from Ukraine and to turn back from the path of aggression it has chosen. This long-planned attack on Ukraine, an independent, peaceful and democratic country, is brutal and wholly unprovoked and unjustified. We deplore the tragic loss of life, enormous human suffering and destruction caused by Russia’s actions. Peace on the European continent has been fundamentally shattered. The world will hold Russia, as well as Belarus, accountable for their actions. We call on all states to condemn this unconscionable attack unreservedly. No one should be fooled by the Russian government’s barrage of lies.

Russia bears full responsibility for this conflict. It has rejected the path of diplomacy and dialogue repeatedly offered to it by NATO and Allies. It has fundamentally violated international law, including the UN Charter. Russia’s actions are also a flagrant rejection of the principles enshrined in the NATO-Russia Founding Act: it is Russia that has walked away from its commitments under the Act. President Putin’s decision to attack Ukraine is a terrible strategic mistake, for which Russia will pay a severe price, both economically and politically, for years to come. Massive and unprecedented sanctions have already been imposed on Russia. NATO will continue to coordinate closely with relevant stakeholders and other international organisations including the EU.  At the invitation of the Secretary General, we were joined today by Finland, Sweden and the European Union.

We stand in full solidarity with the democratically elected president, parliament and government of Ukraine and with the brave people of Ukraine who are now defending their homeland. Our thoughts are with all those killed, injured and displaced by Russia’s aggression, and with their families. NATO remains committed to all the foundational principles underpinning European security, including that each nation has the right to choose its own security arrangements.  We will continue to provide political and practical support to Ukraine as it continues to defend itself and call on others to do the same. We reaffirm our unwavering support for the independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine within its internationally recognised borders, including its territorial waters. This principled position will never change.

In light of Russia’s actions, we will draw all the necessary consequences for NATO’s deterrence and defence posture. Allies have held consultations under Article 4 of the Washington Treaty. We will continue to take all measures and decisions required to ensure the security and defence of all Allies. We have deployed defensive land and air forces in the eastern part of the Alliance, and maritime assets across the NATO area. We have activated NATO’s defence plans to prepare ourselves to respond to a range of contingencies and secure Alliance territory, including by drawing on our response forces. We are now making significant additional defensive deployments of forces to the eastern part of the Alliance. We will make all deployments necessary to ensure strong and credible deterrence and defence across the Alliance, now and in the future. Our measures are and remain preventive, proportionate and non-escalatory.

In a war with Ukraine, Russia was suspended from the Council of Europe on Friday. The international organization had conducted a referendum in which 42 of 47 Committee of Ministers voted in favour of a joint Ukrainian-Polish notion to suspend Russia.

The action against Russia comes days after the European Council condemned in the strongest possible terms the ‘unprovoked and ‘unjustified’ military aggression against Ukraine, and demanded an immediate cessation of violence, which evidently was paid a deaf ear to.