NEW YORK (1010 WINS/AP) -- Russian troops launched a broad assault on Ukraine from three sides on Thursday: an attack by land, sea and air that began with explosions in the capital Kyiv and other cities. Here's the latest in the conflict:
Thursday, Feb. 24, 2022
10:09: p.m.: Gov. Hochul says New York 'stands ready to welcome Ukrainian refugees'
"Like millions across the globe, New Yorkers are watching the situation in Ukraine with fear and outrage," Gov. Kathy Hochul said in a statement. "New York is proudly home to the largest Ukrainian population in the United States. We condemn the unjustified violence and we are grateful to President Biden for his leadership in this moment of global crisis."
She also said the Empire State is ready to accept refugees.
"Our prayers are with the Ukrainian people, including those in New York who are scared for their family and loved ones," she said. "Just as the Statue of Liberty stands tall in our harbor, New York stands ready to welcome Ukrainian refugees. We remain engaged with the Biden Administration and we will be prepared to accept and support those who seek shelter in our state."
9:12 p.m.: The White House condemned Russia for "credible reports" that Russian troops took staff at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant hostage.
White House press secretary Jen Psaki also raised the possibility that disrupting staff at the facility could create dangerous conditions regarding the disposal of nuclear waste and upkeep of the reactor.
"We are outraged by credible reports that Russian soldiers are currently holding staff of the Chernobyl facilities hostage," said Psaki at a press conference. "This unlawful and dangerous hostage taking, which could upend the routine civil service efforts required to maintain and protect the nuclear waste facilities, is obviously incredibly alarming and greatly concerning. We condemn it and we request their release."
6:54 p.m.: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said at least 137 Ukrainian civilians and soldiers have been killed in the fighting so far.
He made the announcement in a video on Facebook, in which he also announced 316 Ukrainians have been wounded.
Zelenskyy said that, despite Russia's claim it is only attacking military targets, civilians are also under attack.
"They're killing people and turning peaceful cities into military targets," said the Ukrainian president. "It's foul and will never be forgiven."
6:08 p.m.: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy ordered a full mobilization of the Ukrainian military to combat the Russian invasion.
Zelenskyy said the mobilization will last 90 days and tasked the military's general staff with determining how many people eligible for service and reservists can be called on to supplement active troops.
5:54 p.m.: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called on the leaders of the European Union to strengthen sanctions on Russia
“Europe’s fate is being decided in Ukraine," said Zelenskyy in an address delivered via messaging app Telegram. "If Putin doesn’t get a decent rebuff now, he will move on further."
The Ukrainian president specifically called for the EU to cut off Russia from SWIFT, a banking transfer system used to make cross-border payments, and to impose an oil and gas embargo.
4:15 p.m.: Ukraine’s Health Minister says nearly 60 killed, 170 wounded in Russian invasion
Ukraine’s Health Minister Viktor Lyashko says 57 Ukrainians have been killed as a result of the Russian invasion, and 169 more were wounded.
Lyashko also said Thursday that Ukraine’s authorities are repurposing the country’s health care facilities to make room for those who need medical assistance because of the hostilities
3:36 p.m.: Former President Barack Obama releases statement, calls Russia's invasion 'a brazen attack'
Former President Barack Obama condemned Russia's invasion of Ukraine in a lengthy statement on Thursday afternoon.
"Last night, Russia launched a brazen attack on the people of Ukraine, in violation of international law and basic principles of human decency. Russia did so not because Ukraine posed a threat to Russia, but because the people of Ukraine chose a path of sovereignty, self-determination, and democracy. For exercising rights that should be available to all people and nations, Ukrainians now face a brutal onslaught that is killing innocents and displacing untold numbers of men, women, and children."
2:15 p.m.: Biden announces 'severe' sanctions for Russia that 'exceed anything that's ever been done'
President Joe Biden outlined more stinging sanctions against Russia—including restrictions on exports to Russia and sanctions on Russian banks and state-controlled companies—after it attacked Ukraine in a “premeditated attack” that the president said President Vladimir Putin has been “planning for months.”
“For weeks we have been warning this would happen, and now it’s unfolding largely as we predicted,” Biden said from the East Room of the White House.
The sanctions target Russian banks, oligarchs and high-tech sectors, Biden said. The United States and its allies will block assets of four large Russian banks, impose export controls and sanction oligarchs.
Biden said the “strong sanctions and new limitations” would “impose severe costs on the Russian economy both immediately and over time” and aim to “squeeze Russia’s access to finance and technology, for strategic sectors of its economy and degrade its industrial capacity for years to come.”
The penalties fall in line with the White House’s insistence that it would look to hit Russia’s financial system and Putin's inner circle, while also imposing export controls that would aim to starve Russia’s industries and military of U.S. semiconductors and other high-tech products.
The U.S. will sanction Russia’s banks that together hold around $1 trillion in assets and cut off its largest bank from the U.S. financial system, Biden said. The U.S. will also apply restrictions to Russia’s largest state-owned enterprises, companies the president said have assets that exceed $1.4 trillion.
“Putin chose this war. Now he and his country will bear the consequences,” Biden said. “We have purposely designed these sanctions to maximize the long-term impact on Russia and minimize the impact on the U.S. and our allies.”
Biden said the U.S. is “not doing this alone” and has built a coalition of partners for months, which represent more than half of the global economy, to “amplify the joint impact of our response.”
“We’re going to stunt the ability of them to grow the Russian military, impair their ability to compete in a high-tech 21st century economy,” Biden said.
Biden, for now, held off imposing some of the most severe sanctions, including cutting Russia out of the SWIFT payment system, which allows for the transfers of money from bank to bank around the globe, or Russia's energy sector. Ukrainian officials have urged the U.S. and West to go further and cut the Russians from the SWIFT financial system.
Biden said the sanctions will not disrupt the global oil and natural gas markets: “Our sanctions package is specifically designed to allow energy payments to continue.”
The president also said that U.S. oil and gas companies should not exploit the geopolitical risks to hike their prices and raise their profits.
Asked if the sanctions were enough to deter Putin as he launches a full-scale invasion, Biden said, “The sanctions we imposed exceed anything that’s ever been done […] They are profound sanctions. Let’s have a conversation in another month or so to see if they’re working.”
He reiterated that U.S. forces “are not and will not be engaged in the conflict with Russia in Ukraine.”
“Our forces are not going to Europe to fight in Ukraine but to defend our NATO allies and reassure those allies in the east,” he said.
Nevertheless, he said he has authorized additional U.S. force capabilities to deploy to Germany as part of NATO’s response, including some of the U.S.-based forces that the Department of Defense placed on standby weeks ago.
“I’ve also spoken with Defense Secretary [Lloyd] Austin and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs General [Mark] Milley about preparations for additional moves should they become necessary to protect our NATO allies and support the greatest military alliance in the history of the world, NATO,” the president said.
Biden said, “now the entire world sees clearly what Putin and his Kremlin allies are really all about […] naked aggression, about Putin’s desire for empire by any means necessary.”
“This aggression cannot go unanswered. If it did the consequences for America could be much worse. America stands up to bullies. We stand up for freedom. This is who we are.”
He also warned Russia that the U.S. is “prepared to respond” to any cyberattacks.
He said he spoke with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy last night and assured him that the U.S. will “support the Ukrainian people as they defend their country,” including with humanitarian relief.
“Putin’s actions betray a sinister vision for the future of our world, one where nations take what they want by force,” Biden said. “But it is a vision that the United States and freedom-loving nations everywhere will oppose with every tool of our considerable power.”
Asked if he had plans to speak with the Russian president, Biden said: “I have no plans to talk with Putin.” He also said there's "a complete rupture right now in U.S.-Russia relations if they continue on this path."
Biden spoke to Americans from the White House hours after holding a virtual meeting with the leaders of Britain, Canada, France, Italy and Japan. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, European Council President Charles Michel, and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg also joined the meeting.
1:05 p.m.: Russian forces seize control of Chernobyl nuclear site, Ukrainian official says
A presidential adviser says Ukraine lost control of the Chernobyl nuclear site, where Ukranian forces had waged a fierce battle with Russian troops.
Adviser Myhailo Podolyak told The Associated Press that Ukrainian authorities did not know the current condition of the facilities at Chernobyl, the site of the world's worst nuclear disaster.
“After the absolutely senseless attack of the Russians in this direction, it is impossible to say that the Chernobyl nuclear power plant is safe,” he said.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had announced several hours earlier Thursday that Russian forces were trying to seize the Chernobyl nuclear plant.
A nuclear reactor at the plant 80 miles north of Ukraine's capital, Kyiv, exploded in April 1986, spewing radioactive waste across Europe.
The exploded reactor was covered by a protective shelter several years ago to prevent radiation leaks.
12:45 p.m.: Russia formally confirms its forces have moved into Ukraine
The Russian Defense Ministry has formally confirmed that its forces have moved into Ukraine from Crimea.
Until Thursday's statement Russia had said only that it unleashed a barrage of air and missile strikes on Ukrainian air bases, air defense batteries and other military facilities.
The ministry said it has destroyed a total of 83 Ukrainian military facilities. Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov confirmed that Russian ground troops advanced toward the city of Kherson northwest of the Crimea peninsula.
Kherson sits on water reservoir used in the past to provide the bulk of fresh water for Crimea until Ukraine cut it with a dam in 2017 in response to Moscow’s 2014 annexation of Crimea from Ukraine. Konashenkov said Thursday's move allows the resumption of the water supply to Crimea.
12:15 p.m.: Putin says he was ‘forced’ into military action
Russian President Vladimir Putin says he was “forced” to order a military action in Ukraine because of the Western refusal to heed Russian security demands.
Speaking at a Kremlin meeting with businesspeople Thursday, Putin said the military action was a “forced measure” that stemmed from rising security risks for Russia.
He said that he was surprised by the West’s “intransigence” regarding Moscow’s security demands. “I was surprised that didn’t move a millimeter on any issue,” he said. “They have left us no chance to act differently.”
Turning to Western sanctions, he said “Russia remains part of the global economy and isn’t going to hurt the system that it is part of as long as it remains there.”
“Our partners should realize that and not set a goal to push us out of the system,” he said in an apparent warning to the West.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensnkyy urged Moscow to end hostilities, adding that Russian airborne troops have been checked outside Kyiv.
“It wasn’t Ukraine that chose the path of war, but Ukraine is offering to go back to the path of peace,” he said Thursday.
He said a Russian airborne force in Hostomel airport outside Kyiv, which has a big runway, has been stopped and is being destroyed.
The Ukrainian leader said many Russian warplanes and armored vehicles were destroyed but didn’t give numbers. He also said an unspecified number of Russian troops was captured.
He said a difficult situation is developing in Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city just over 20 kilometers from the Russian border. In the north the Russians are slowly advancing toward Chernihiv, Zelenskyy said.
He appealed to global leaders, saying that “if you don’t help us now, if you fail to offer strong assistance to Ukraine, tomorrow the war will knock on your door.”
12:05 p.m.: UN to vote on Russia resolution, US official says
A senior U.S. official told the Associated Press that the U.N. Security Council is expected to vote Friday on a resolution condemning Russia in the strongest terms possible for attacking Ukraine and demanding the immediate withdrawal of all its forces — knowing that Russia will veto the legally binding measure.
The United States believes it is very important to put the resolution to a vote to underscore Russia’s international isolation, and emphasizes that the veto will be followed quickly by a resolution in the 193-member U.N. General Assembly where there are no vetoes, the official said Thursday. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly.
The resolution is drafted under Article 7 of the U.N. Charter, which can be enforced militarily, according to the official.
Meanwhile, the German government, which currently heads the Group of Seven, put out a joint statement after a virtual G7 leaders’ meeting Thursday, vowing to bring “forward severe and coordinated economic and financial sanctions.”
11:45 a.m.: US official says this appears to be 1st phase of large-scale invasion of Ukraine
A senior U.S. defense official told the Associated Press that Thursday's attack on Ukraine by Russia appears to be the first phase in what will likely be a multiple phased, large-scale invasion.
The official said it began around 9:30 p.m. U.S. eastern time, with land- and sea-based missile launches. The official said that roughly more than 100 missiles, primarily short-range ballistic missiles, but also medium-range ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, surface-to-air missiles and sea-launched missiles, were launched in the first few hours of the attack.
The official said the Russians are moving on three axes: From Crimea to Kherson, from Belarus toward Kyiv, and from the northeast to Kharkiv.
The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said it’s not clear how many Russian troops are in Ukraine now, and the main targets of the air assault have been barracks, ammunition warehouses, and 10 airfields. The official said Russian ground forces began to move into Ukraine from Belarus around 5 a.m. Eastern time.
11:15 a.m.: Biden to address Russia’s Ukraine attack at 1:30 p.m.
The White House said President Joe Biden will deliver remarks “on Russia’s unprovoked and unjustified attack on Ukraine” at 1:30 p.m. ET.
In a statement Wednesday night, Biden said he’d “speak to the American people to announce the further consequences the United States and our Allies and partners will impose on Russia for this needless act of aggression against Ukraine and global peace and security.”
10:30 a.m.: Russian forces trying to seize Chernobyl: Ukrainian president
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says Russian forces are trying to seize the Chernobyl nuclear plant.
The plant was the site of the world’s worst nuclear accident when a nuclear reactor exploded in April 1986, spewing radioactive waste across Europe. The plant lies 80 miles north of the capital of Kyiv.
The exploded reactor has been covered by a protective shelter to prevent radiation leak and the entire plant has been decommissioned.
Zelenskyy said on Twitter that “our defenders are giving their lives so that the tragedy of 1986 will not be repeated.” He added that “this is a declaration of war against the whole of Europe.”
9:20 a.m.: Biden meets with national security team in the Situation Room
The White House tweeted that President Biden has “met with his national security team in the Situation Room this morning to discuss the latest developments in Ukraine. He discussed how we will hold Russia accountable for its unprovoked and unjustified attack on Ukraine.”
Shortly after Russia launched its offensive in Ukraine overnight, Biden pledged new sanctions to punish the country for the “unprovoked and unjustified attack.” 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.
9:15 a.m.: Russia says it has destroyed 74 Ukrainian military facilities; Ukraine vows 'all-out defense'
Russia’s Defense Ministry says the Russian military has destroyed 74 Ukrainian military facilities, including 11 air bases.
Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu ordered that Ukrainian servicemen be treated “with respect” and those who lay down their weapons offered safe corridors.
The Russian Defense Ministry confirmed the loss of a Su-25 attack jet due to “pilot error.”
Meanwhile, Ukraine's government vowed an "all-out defense" of its country, saying dozens of Ukrainian soldiers had been killed.
8:30 a.m.: French president says ‘turning point in European history’
French President Emmanuel Macron says France and its European allies did everything to try to head off the attack on Ukraine. He said that they will show “no weakness” in their response.
Macron said in a televised address to the nation Thursday that Russia’s attack is a “turning point in European history” and as a result “there will be profound consequences for our continent and changes in our lives.”
He said that “to this act of war, we will reply without weakness, we will reply calmly and in a determined and united manner.”
“We have tried everything to avoid this war but it is here and we are ready,” Macron said.
7:45 a.m.: Head of U.N. refugee agency warns of ‘devastating consequences’
The head of the U.N. refugee agency is warning of “devastating consequences” of Russia’s military action in Ukraine and calling on neighboring countries to keep their borders open for people fleeing the fighting.
Filippo Grandi, the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees, pointed to “reports of casualties and people starting to flee their homes to seek safety” without elaborating.
7:40 a.m.: Ukraine official says Russia looks to oust country’s leadership
Mykhailo Podolyak, an adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, says that “Russia’s key goal is clear: to oust the Ukrainian leadership and stir up as much panic as possible.”
Podolyak said Thursday the Russians “want to cut off part of the country and they moving in in big convoys.”
He said that “we are seeing attempts to destabilize the situation in big cities, including Kyiv and Kharkiv.”
7:30 a.m.: Anti-nuclear group says Putin essentially threatened ‘nuclear war’
The head of a Nobel Peace Prize-winning anti-nuclear group says a warning from Russian President Vladimir Putin to anyone who might meddle in Russia’s attack on Ukraine amounted to a threat to “launch a nuclear war.”
Beatrice Fihn, executive director of the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons, was referring to the Russian leader’s comments as the attack began that “whoever tries to impede us, let alone create threats for our country and its people, must know that the Russian response will be immediate and lead to the consequences you have never seen in history.”
Fihn, whose group won the Nobel prize in 2017, said Russia had manufactured a “false justification” for its military action in Ukraine and said Putin’s warning was “basically to launch a nuclear war.”
7:25 a.m.: NATO’s secretary-general: Russia ‘using force to try to rewrite history’
NATO’s secretary-general says Russia has launched war on Ukraine and shattered peace on the European continent.
Jens Stoltenberg called for a summit of NATO alliance leaders for Friday, saying, “We now have war in Europe on a scale and of a type we thought belonged to history.”
Stoltenberg said that “this is a deliberate, cold-blooded and long-planned invasion.” And he charged that “Russia is using force to try to rewrite history.”
7:15 a.m.: Lithuania declares state of emergency, Germany says ‘dark day for Europe’
NATO member Lithuania, which has borders with Russian ally Belarus and Russia's exclave of Kaliningrad on the Baltic Sea, has declared a state of emergency effective early Thursday afternoon due to the situation in Ukraine.
The decree signed Thursday by Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda steps up border protection. It gives authorities, among other things, the right to check and inspect vehicles, persons and luggage in the border area.
Lithuania also borders fellow NATO and European Union members Poland and Latvia.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has condemned Russia’s attack on Ukraine, calling it a “dark day for Europe” and expressing his country’s “full solidarity with Kyiv.”
Scholz said in a statement at the chancellery in Berlin on Thursday that new sanctions to be imposed on Russia by Germany and its allies would show that “Putin has made a serious mistake with his war.”
7:05 a.m.: NATO beefs up its land, sea and air forces on eastern flank
NATO has agreed to beef up its land, sea and air forces on its eastern flank near Ukraine and Russia after Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered a military offensive in Ukraine.
NATO ambassadors said in a statement after emergency talks Thursday that “we have increased the readiness of our forces to respond to all contingencies.”
While some of NATO’s 30 member countries are supplying arms, ammunition and other equipment to Ukraine, NATO as an organization is not. It will not launch any military action in support of Ukraine.
Countries closest to the conflict – Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland – are among those to have triggered rare consultations under Article 4 of NATO’s founding treaty, which can be launched when “the territorial integrity, political independence or security of any of the (NATO) parties is threatened.”
6:55 a.m.: Ukraine officials says Russia will ‘face tough battles’
An adviser to Ukraine’s president says that Russian forces forged 6-12 miles deep into the Chernihiv region of northern Ukraine and are regrouping to continue the offensive.
But Oleksiy Arestovich said Thursday that “Kyiv is under reliable protection” and “they will face tough battles.”
Arestovich said that fighting is going on 2 ½-3 miles north of Ukraine’s second-largest city of Kharkiv, in the country’s northeast. He said Ukrainian troops destroyed four Russian tanks there.
The adviser said that Russian troops that moved into Ukraine from Russian-annexed Crimea are trying to advance toward Melitopol and Kherson.
6:35 a.m.: EU foreign policy chief says Russia attack is one of the "darkest hours for Europe since World War II"
EU High Representative Josep Borrell said of Russia's attack on Ukraine: "These are among the darkest hours for Europe since the end of World War II."
Borrell vowed "urgent assistance to Ukraine" along with support for evacuation efforts, according to CNN.
World leaders decried the start of a long-anticipated invasion with far-reaching consequences, as global financial markets plunged and oil prices soared. Russia’s actions could cause massive casualties, topple Ukraine’s democratically elected government and upend geopolitics and Europe’s post-Cold War security balance.
6:30 a.m.: Ukraine says at least 40 people killed so far in "full-scale" war, declares martial law
Ukraine's leadership said at least 40 people have been killed so far in what it called a “full-scale war” targeting the country from the east, north and south. In response, NATO envoys agreed to beef up air, land and air forces on the alliance's eastern flank near Ukraine and Russia.
Ukrainian border guards released footage of what they said were Russian military vehicles moving in, and big explosions were heard in the capital Kyiv, Kharkiv in the east and Odesa in the west. As the Russian military claimed to have wiped out Ukraine’s entire air defenses in a matter of hours, Ukrainians fled some cities and European authorities declared Ukrainian air space an active conflict zone.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy cut diplomatic ties with Moscow and declared martial law, saying Russia has targeted Ukraine’s military infrastructure. Ukrainians who had long braced for the prospect of an assault were urged to stay home and not to panic even as Ukrainian authorities reported artillery barrages and airstrikes on targets around the country.
“The Ukrainian military is waging hard battles, repelling attacks in Donbas and other regions in the east, north and south,” Zelenskyy said at a briefing. He said the Ukrainian authorities will hand weapons to all those willing to defend the country.
Oleksii Arestovich, an adviser to Zelenskyy, said that Russian troops have moved up to 3 miles into the Ukrainian territory in the Kharkiv and Chernihiv regions, and, possibly in other areas.
In the capital, Kyiv Mayor Vitaly Klitschko advised residents to stay home unless they are involved in critical work and urged them to prepare go-bags with necessities and documents if they need to evacuate. An Associated Press photographer in Mariupol reported hearing explosions and seeing dozens of people with suitcases heading for their cars to leave the city.
“We are facing a war and horror. What could be worse?” 64-year-old Liudmila Gireyeva said in Kyiv. She planned to head to the western city of Lviv and then to try to move to Poland to join her daughter. Putin “will be damned by history, and Ukrainians are damning him.”
6:00 a.m.: Putin says he will "demilitarize" Ukraine
Russian President Vladimir Putin said the military operation was needed to protect civilians in eastern Ukraine — a claim the U.S. had predicted he would falsely make to justify an invasion.
Putin accused the U.S. and its allies of ignoring Russia’s demands to block Ukraine from ever joining NATO and offer Moscow security guarantees.
Putin said Russia does not intend to occupy Ukraine but will “demilitarize” it. Soon after his address, explosions were heard in the cities of Kyiv, Kharkiv and Odesa. Russia said it was attacking military targets.
He urged Ukrainian servicemen to “immediately put down arms and go home.”
Ukraine’s border guard agency said the Russian military has attacked from neighboring Belarus, unleashing a barrage of artillery. The agency said Ukrainian border guards fired back, adding that there was no immediate report of casualties. Russian troops have been in Belarus for military drills.
The Russian claims about knocking out Ukrainian air defenses and Ukrainian claims to have shot down several Russian aircraft could not immediately be verified. The Ukrainian air defense system and air force date back to the Soviet era and are dwarfed by Russia’s massive air power and its inventory of precision weapons.
The Russian Defense Ministry said it was not targeting cities, but using precision weapons and claimed that “there is no threat to civilian population.”
5:30 a.m.: Ukrainians flee and explosions heard in Kyiv
Ukrainians started fleeing some cities, and the Russian military claimed to have incapacitated all of Ukraine’s air defenses and air bases within hours.
Residents of Ukraine's capital, Kyiv, could be heard shouting in the streets when the first explosions sounded. But some kind of normalcy quickly returned, with cars circulating in the streets in the early morning commute.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy issued a video statement declaring martial law. He told Ukrainians that the United States was gathering international support to respond to Russia. He urged residents to remain calm and stay at home.
5:00 a.m.: World markets fall as attack begins
World stock markets have plunged and oil prices surged by nearly $6 per barrel after Putin launched Russian military action in Ukraine.
Market benchmarks tumbled in Europe and Asia and U.S. futures were sharply lower. Brent crude oil jumped to over $100 per barrel Thursday on unease about possible disruption of Russian supplies.
The ruble sank 7.5% to more than $87 to the U.S. dollar. Earlier, Wall Street’s benchmark S&P 500 index fell 1.8% to an eight-month low after the Kremlin said rebels in eastern Ukraine asked for military assistance.
4:30 a.m.: Biden condemns attack, vows more sanctions coming
President Joe Biden pledged new sanctions to punish Russia for the aggression that the international community had expected for weeks but could not prevent through diplomacy.
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.
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