Russia declares war on Ukraine—world’s reaction

Author

Olga Krotovska

The world community condemned the decision of Russian President Vladimir Putin to start a war against Ukraine. The United States reacted almost immediately.

Joe Biden, in a telephone conversation, promised Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy more U.S. support and "imposition of tough sanctions on Russia," the White House report reads.

"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. 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," he stressed.

The following countries also joined the USA:

Great Britain. The authorities of the country convened a meeting of the Government's emergency response committee Cobra due to the events in Ukraine. Boris Johnson stated that Putin chose "the path of bloodshed and destruction." He warned that Moscow "suffers serious losses."

"I am appalled by the horrific events in Ukraine and I have spoken to President Zelenskyy to discuss next steps," Johnson tweeted.

Germany. During a conversation with President Zelenskyy, Chancellor Olaf Scholz reaffirmed "full German solidarity."

"There is a war going on in Europe… This is a gross violation of international law. This attack will have serious political and economic consequences for Russia," said German Economy Minister Robert Habeck.

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock stated that the international community will not forget this "shameful day" and that Germany, together with its partners, will respond to Russia's actions. The country's Foreign Ministry announced establishing a crisis headquarters due to incidents in Ukraine.

Japan. The country's leadership strongly condemned the new Russian invasion of Ukraine.

China. The Chinese Embassy in Ukraine urged its citizens to stay inside the country and put Chinese flags on their cars for safety reasons.

France. President Emmanuel Macron stated he was working with partners to stop the war.

EU. The head of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, stated that Russia would be responsible for the "unjustified" attack on Ukraine.

"In these dark hours, our thoughts are with Ukraine and the innocent women, men and children as they face this unprovoked attack and fear for their lives," she tweeted.

The EU leaders will hold an emergency summit in Brussels today.

Context. Tonight, on February 24 at 4 am, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced the start of a military operation against Ukraine. The reason was the appeal of the leaders of the so-called LDPR Denis Pushilin and Leonid Pasechnik, in which they requested protection from "military aggression" from the Ukrainian state.

The state border of Ukraine was attacked from the north not only by the troops of Russia, but also by Belarus. Also, the attack is in process from the territory of Crimea: in particular, the border guards recorded the work of enemy sabotage and reconnaissance groups. In addition, CNN stated that tanks had crossed the Ukrainian border from Belarus.