Explosions rang out in cities across Ukraine before dawn Thursday as Russian military forces invaded the country from three sides. Leaders from the United States and across Europe harshly condemned the attack, presenting a united front with vows to impose severe sanctions on Russia.
“Peace on our continent has been shattered. We now have war in Europe of a scale and of a type we thought belonged to history,” said NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg
“We condemn this barbaric attack and the cynical arguments to justify it,” said European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. “It is President Putin who is bringing war back to Europe.”
President Joe Biden released a statement at the outset of the invasion, offering prayer for the Ukrainian people and promising a “united and decisive” response from the U.S. and its allies.
“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,” Biden said. “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.”
President Biden is scheduled to meet with G7 leaders Thursday morning. He is now scheduled to address the nation at 1:30 p.m. ET to outline further consequences the U.S. and its allies will impose on Russia “for this needless act of aggression against Ukraine and global peace and security.”
“We will also coordinate with our NATO Allies to ensure a strong, united response that deters any aggression against the Alliance,” Biden said. “Tonight, Jill and I are praying for the brave and proud people of Ukraine.”
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While the U.S. and its military partners in NATO have not committed any troops to the fighting, the alliance has deployed thousands more troops to its member nations in eastern Europe and placed more on standby in recent days.
“We have over 100 jets at high alert. And there are more than 120 Allied ships at the sea, from the High North to the Mediterranean,” General-Secretary Stoltenberg said following a Tuesday meeting of the NATO-Ukraine Commission.
In his remarks Thursday condemning the Russian invasion, Stoltenberg said the North Atlantic Council decided to activate NATO’s defense plans to protect allied nations during this crisis.
“We will continue to do whatever is necessary to shield the alliance from aggression,” he said.
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China, which has forged a strategic bond with Russia, has not condemned the invasion, and instead continues to urge restraint from “all parties” in the attack, directing its criticism at the U.S. government for “hyping” war in Europe, Bloomberg News reports. A spokeswoman for the Foreign Ministry in Beijing said that, while China calls for peace, Russia is independent and can determine its own strategy.
