Russian troops launched an attack on Ukraine, as President Vladimir Putin warned countries that any attempt to interfere would lead to 'consequences you have never seen.'
Russian troops launched a wide-ranging attack on Ukraine on Thursday, as President Vladimir Putin cast aside international condemnation and sanctions and warned other countries that any attempt to interfere would lead to "consequences you have never seen."
Governments from the U.S. to Asia and Europe readied new sanctions after weeks of failed efforts for a diplomatic solution — but global powers have said they will not intervene militarily to defend Ukraine. After weeks of denying plans to invade, Putin justified his actions in an overnight televised address, asserting that the attack was needed to protect civilians in eastern Ukraine — a false claim the U.S. had predicted he would make as a pretext for an invasion. He accused the U.S. and its allies of ignoring Russia’s demands to prevent Ukraine from joining NATO and for security guarantees.
Biden in a written statement condemned the "unprovoked and unjustified attack," and he promised that the U.S. and its allies would "hold Russia accountable." The president said he planned to speak to Americans on Thursday after a meeting of the Group of Seven leaders. More sanctions against Russia were expected to be announced Thursday.
The Russian Defense Ministry said it was not targeting cities, but using precision weapons and claimed that "there is no threat to civilian population." The consequences of the conflict and resulting sanctions on Russia started reverberating throughout the world. Though the U.S. on Tuesday announced the repositioning of forces around the Baltics, Biden has said he will not send in troops to fight Russia.
In an apparent reference to Putin’s move to authorize the deployment of the Russian military to "maintain peace" in eastern Ukraine, Zelensky warned that "this step could mark the start of a big war on the European continent."Explainer: What's going on between Russia and Ukraine?
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