Biden condemns Putin's 'utter brutality' after Russian missile strikes
President Joe Biden said the US “strongly condemns” Russian missile strikes on cities across Ukraine, which demonstrate Vladimir Putin’s “utter brutality” against the Ukrainian people.
In a statement, Biden added:
These attacks killed and injured civilians and destroyed targets with no military purpose. They once again demonstrate the utter brutality of Mr Putin’s illegal war on the Ukrainian people.
We offer our condolences to the familes and loved ones of those who were senselessly killed today, as well as our best wishes for the recovery of those who were wounded.
Today’s attacks only further reinforce the US’s commitment to stand with the people of Ukraine “for as long as it takes”, Biden continued.
We will continue to impose costs on Russia for its aggression, hold Putin and Russia accountable for its atrocities and war crimes, and provide the support necessary for Ukrainian forces to defend their country and their freedom.
At least 11 people are reported to have been killed and scores more injured after Russia launched a massive wave of strikes targeting cities across Ukraine. Many of the locations hit by cruise missiles and kamikaze drones in the midst of the morning rush hour appeared to be solely civilian sites or key pieces of infrastructure, including the country’s electric grid, apparently chosen to terrorise Ukrainians. Six people were killed and 51 more were injured in Monday’s strikes on Kyiv, according to city officials.
President Vladimir Putin said the wave of strikes on Ukraine was a response to an attack on the Kerch bridge linking Russia and Crimea. The Russian leader warned of even more “severe retaliation” in the event of further Ukrainian attacks. “Let there be no doubt,” Putin said in televised comments addressed to his security council, “if attempts at terrorist attacks continue, the response from Russia will be severe.”
President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said his country was “dealing with terrorists” and accused Russia of targeting power facilities and civilians following the missile attacks. “They deliberately chose such a time, such goals, in order to cause as much harm as possible,” the Ukrainian leader said.
President Joe Biden said the US “strongly condemns” Russian missile strikes on cities across Ukraine, which demonstrate Vladimir Putin’s “utter brutality” against the Ukrainian people. In a separate statement, the US secretary of state, Antony Blinken, said the international community “has a responsibility” to make clear that Putin’s actions are “completely unacceptable”. Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskiy was pictured holding talks with the US ambassador to Kyiv, Bridget Brink, in Kyiv just hours after Russian missiles struck the centre of the capital.
The UN’s secretary general, António Guterres, said he was “deeply shocked” by the Russian air strikes. This morning’s attacks “constitute another unacceptable escalation of the war and, as always, civilians are paying the highest price,” UN spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said.
Nato’s secretary general, Jens Stoltenberg, condemned the “horrific and indiscriminate” missile attacks by Russia on civilian targets in Ukraine. The president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, said she was “shocked and appalled” by the Russian attack on Ukraine. Her European Council counterpart, Charles Michel, unequivocally labelled today’s actions by Russia as war crimes.
Members of the Group of Seven and Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, will hold emergency talks on the situation in Ukraine on Tuesday, a German government spokesperson has confirmed. President Zelenskiy confirmed he would address G7 leaders, adding that he had spoken with Germany’s chancellor, Olaf Scholz, about increasing pressure on Russia as well as aid for Ukraine.
In an emergency meeting of the UN general assembly, Ukraine’s ambassador Sergiy Kyslytsya said Russia was a “terrorist state” and that its annexation of Ukrainian regions are an “existential threat” to the UN charter“Russia has proven once again, that this is a terrorist state that must be deterred in the strongest possible ways,” Kyslytsya said
The Belarusian president, Alexander Lukashenko, said Belarus and Russia would deploy a joint military task force on the country’s western borders in response to what he called an aggravation of tension. The two countries had started pulling forces together two days ago, apparently after the explosion on Russia’s bridge to Crimea, Lukashenko was quoted as saying. Poland has released guidance advising its citizens in Belarus to leave the country.
The International Committee of the Red Cross has confirmed its teams have paused their field work in Ukraine for security reasons. The Norwegian Refugee Council have also said that it has paused its aid operations in Ukraine until it is safe to resume. “Our aid workers are hiding from a barrage of bombs and in fear of repeated attacks,” it said.
The president of the United Arab Emirates, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed al-Nahyan, will visit Moscow tomorrow to meet Vladimir Putin, UAE state media reported. Mohamed “will discuss with President Putin the friendly relations between the UAE and Russia along with a number of regional and international issues and developments of common interest”, the UAE’s state-owned news agency WAM said.
Vladimir Putin may meet Turkey’s president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, at a summit in Kazakhstan this week, the Kremlin said. The Kremlin spokesperson, Dmitry Peskov, told reporters it was “possible” the pair could discuss a Turkish proposal to host talks between Russia and the west on Ukraine.
The European Union has announced it will extend a bloc-wide protection scheme for Ukrainian refugees into 2024. Ukrainians in the EU who choose to return to their country will still be able to maintain their refugee status, as long as they notify the relevant EU country of their move, according to the EU’s home affairs commissioner, Ylva Johansson.
Websites for more than a dozen US airports were temporarily brought offline by cyberattacks on Monday morning, with Russian-speaking hackers claiming responsibility for the disruption. About 14 public-facing websites for a number of sizable airports, including LaGuardia airport in New York City, were targeted and inaccessible to the public. Most have since been brought back online.
The US secretary of state Antony Blinken spoke with Ukraine’s foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba, reiterating that the US “will continue to provide vital economic, humanitarian, and security assistance so Ukraine can defend itself and take care of its people”, a state department spokesperson said.
“The secretary commended Ukraine for not allowing President Putin to break Ukraine’s spirit,” said spokesperson Ned Price. “The secretary reaffirmed the steadfast support of the United States for Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.”
In an emergency meeting of the UN general assembly, Ukraine’s ambassador Sergiy Kyslytsya said Russia was a “terrorist state” and that its annexation of Ukrainian regions are an “existential threat” to the UN charter.
“Russia has proven once again, that this is a terrorist state that must be deterred in the strongest possible ways,” Kyslytsya said.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said today that he spoke to US president Joe Biden about Ukraine’s air defense after Russia fired a number of missiles on several Ukrainian cities, reported Reuters.
In a message on Telegram, Zelenskiy wrote: “Had a productive conversation with US President Joe Biden … The main topic of discussion was air defense. Currently, this is the number one priority in our defense cooperation.”
A number of websites for US airports were targeted earlier today in a cyberattack done by pro-Russia hackers.
Here’s the full report on what happened from the Guardian’s Gloria Oladipo:
Websites for more than a dozen US airports were temporarily brought offline by cyberattacks on Monday morning, with Russian-speaking hackers claiming responsibility for the disruption.
About 14 public-facing websites for a number of sizable airports, including LaGuardia airport in New York City, were targeted and inaccessible to the public. Most have since been brought back online.
A senior official told ABC News that the attacks did not affect air traffic control, internal airport communication or other key operations. But the official said that the interruption caused an “inconvenience” for travelers attempting to access information.
“It’s an inconvenience,” said the unnamed source, adding that the cyberattacks caused a “denial of public access” to public websites that report airport wait times and capacity information.
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) foreign ministry said today that UAE president Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan’s visit to Russia is to help bridge “effective political solutions” to the Ukrainian crisis, reported Reuters, citing the state news agency WAM.
The foreign ministry added that UAE “seeks to achieve positive results to reduce military escalation, reduce humanitarian repercussions and reach a political settlement to achieve global peace and security”.
The former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev has been included on a list of wanted persons put together by Ukraine security officials, reported Reuters.
The statement said Medvedev, now deputy chairman of Russia’s Security, was wanted under a section of the criminal code dealing with attempts to undermine Ukraine’s territorial integrity and the inviolability of its borders. Most of the Russian Security Council’s members are on the list.
It was not immediately clear why the Ukrainian authorities have not released the information sooner or why they made it public now.
The statement said other prominent Russians figured on the wanted list, including Sergei Shoigu, the defence minister, Vyacheslav Volodin, the chairman of the lower house of parliament, Valentina Matviyenko, the chairman of the upper house, and Nikolai Patrushev, the secretary of the Security Council.
“The Security Service of Ukraine confirms that Dmitry Medvedev, deputy head of Russia’s Security Council and former president of the aggressor state, is declared a wanted person,” the SBU said in a statement.
“This occurred in March 2022 at the beginning of Russia’s full-scale aggression.”
Medvedev was seen as something of a moderate when he served as president from 2008 to 2012, when he swapped jobs with Vladimir Putin, who became prime minister. In recent years, he has voiced some of Russia’s most hardline views on Ukraine.
The US secretary of state, Antony Blinken, condemned Russia’s attack on Ukraine today, calling it a “profound moral issue”, reports Reuters.
Blinken said the attacks were “unacceptable” and called on the international community to speak up in support of Ukraine:
The international community has a responsibility to make clear that President Putin’s actions are completely unacceptable …
Now is the time to speak out in support for Ukraine; it is not the time for abstentions, placating words, or equivocations under claims of neutrality. The core principles of the UN Charter are at stake.
At least 11 people are reported to have been killed and scores more injured after Russia launched a massive wave of strikes targeting cities across Ukraine. Many of the locations hit by cruise missiles and kamikaze drones in the midst of the morning rush hour appeared to be solely civilian sites or key pieces of infrastructure, including the country’s electric grid, apparently chosen to terrorise Ukrainians. Six people were killed and 51 more were injured in Monday’s strikes on Kyiv, according to city officials.
President Vladimir Putin said the wave of strikes on Ukraine was a response to an attack on the Kerch bridge linking Russia and Crimea. The Russian leader warned of even more “severe retaliation” in the event of further Ukrainian attacks. “Let there be no doubt,” Putin said in televised comments addressed to his security council, “if attempts at terrorist attacks continue, the response from Russia will be severe.”
President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said his country was “dealing with terrorists” and accused Russia of targeting power facilities and civilians following the missile attacks. “They deliberately chose such a time, such goals, in order to cause as much harm as possible,” the Ukrainian leader said.
President Joe Biden said the US “strongly condemns” Russian missile strikes on cities across Ukraine, which demonstrate Vladimir Putin’s “utter brutality” against the Ukrainian people. In a separate statement, the US secretary of state, Antony Blinken, said the international community “has a responsibility” to make clear that Putin’s actions are “completely unacceptable”. Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskiy was pictured holding talks with the US ambassador to Kyiv, Bridget Brink, in Kyiv just hours after Russian missiles struck the centre of the capital.
The UN’s secretary general, António Guterres, said he was “deeply shocked” by the Russian air strikes. This morning’s attacks “constitute another unacceptable escalation of the war and, as always, civilians are paying the highest price,” UN spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said.
Nato’s secretary general, Jens Stoltenberg, condemned the “horrific and indiscriminate” missile attacks by Russia on civilian targets in Ukraine. The president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, said she was “shocked and appalled” by the Russian attack on Ukraine. Her European Council counterpart, Charles Michel, unequivocally labelled today’s actions by Russia as war crimes.
Members of the Group of Seven and Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, will hold emergency talks on the situation in Ukraine on Tuesday, a German government spokesperson has confirmed. President Zelenskiy confirmed he would address G7 leaders, adding that he had spoken with Germany’s chancellor, Olaf Scholz, about increasing pressure on Russia as well as aid for Ukraine.
The Belarusian president, Alexander Lukashenko, said Belarus and Russia would deploy a joint military task force on the country’s western borders in response to what he called an aggravation of tension. The two countries had started pulling forces together two days ago, apparently after the explosion on Russia’s bridge to Crimea, Lukashenko was quoted as saying. Poland has released guidance advising its citizens in Belarus to leave the country.
The International Committee of the Red Cross has confirmed its teams have paused their field work in Ukraine for security reasons. The Norwegian Refugee Council have also said that it has paused its aid operations in Ukraine until it is safe to resume. “Our aid workers are hiding from a barrage of bombs and in fear of repeated attacks,” it said.
The president of the United Arab Emirates, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed al-Nahyan, will visit Moscow tomorrow to meet Vladimir Putin, UAE state media reported. Mohamed “will discuss with President Putin the friendly relations between the UAE and Russia along with a number of regional and international issues and developments of common interest”, the UAE’s state-owned news agency WAM said.
Vladimir Putin may meet Turkey’s president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, at a summit in Kazakhstan this week, the Kremlin said. The Kremlin spokesperson, Dmitry Peskov, told reporters it was “possible” the pair could discuss a Turkish proposal to host talks between Russia and the west on Ukraine.
The European Union has announced it will extend a bloc-wide protection scheme for Ukrainian refugees into 2024. Ukrainians in the EU who choose to return to their country will still be able to maintain their refugee status, as long as they notify the relevant EU country of their move, according to the EU’s home affairs commissioner, Ylva Johansson.
The European Union “should and could do more” to help Ukraine by providing more military equipment in light of Russia’s recent escalation of aggression, the president of the European parliament,Roberta Metsola, has said.
Speaking to CNN, Metsola said:
What we’ve seen today shows that Russia will continue to escalate further … How are we going to respond? If our response is not proportionate to the escalation, then we’re just going to keep seeing him killing more people.
EU sanctions were “clearly not enough”, she said, calling on member states to come together and provide more weaponry, specifically tanks, which the Ukrainians have requested.
Ukraine is asking for them, and the European Union has the facility to coordinate what it gives to Ukraine. I know the high representatives are very much working on this. I know from the military perspective we can do more.
The head of Ukraine’s Center for Civil Liberties, which last week was awarded the Nobel Peace prize, has shared a video of the aftermath of Russia’s missile strike on a children’s playground in Kyiv.
Oleksandra Matviichuk said many children and their parents visited the playground every day, while just opposite was the university she attended for years.
Matviichuk said:
There is no military necessity in hitting these sites. Russia did these things because they could.
She called on the international community to recognise Russia as a state sponsor of terrorism, and to provide Ukraine with modern air defence systems to “stop this circle of impunity” and hold Vladimir Putin and his Belarusian counterpart, Aleksandr Lukashenko, and other alleged war criminals accountable.
I am standing next to the children playground which was hit by the Russian missile in the morning in Kyiv center. Putin, Lukashenko and other war criminals must be accountable. Help Ukraine to bring them to justice#StandWithUkrainepic.twitter.com/xBr8zjGgpz