BRUSSELS
\nThe European Union is planning the \u201cstrongest, the harshest package\u201d of sanctions it has ever considered at an emergency summit Thursday as the Russian military attacked Ukraine and world leaders reacted with outrage at Moscow\u2019s actions.
\nEuropean Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said that \u201cthe target is the stability in Europe and the whole of the international peace order, and we will hold President (Vladimir) Putin accountable for that.\u201d
\n\u201cWe will present a package of massive and targeted sanctions to European leaders for approval,\u201d she said.
\nEU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell called it the \u201cstrongest, the harshest package\u201d ever considered.
\n\u201cA major nuclear power has attacked a neighbor country and is threatening reprisals of any other states that may come to the rescue,\u201d Borrell said. \u201cThis is not only the greatest violation of international law, it\u2019s a violation of the basic principles of human co-existence. It\u2019s costing many lives with unknown consequences ahead of us. The European Union will respond in the strongest possible terms.\u201d
\nVon der Leyen said the \u201cmassive and targeted sanctions\u201d she will put to EU leaders \u201cwill target strategic sectors of the Russian economy by blocking the access to technologies and markets that are key for Russia.\u201d
\nShe said the sanctions, if approved, \u201cwill weaken Russia\u2019s economic base and its capacity to modernize. And in addition, we will freeze Russian assets in the European Union and stop the access of Russian banks to European financial financial markets.\u201d
\nLike the first package of sanctions that were imposed when Russia recognized the two breakaway eastern Ukrainian republics, von der Leyen said all Western powers were walking in lockstep.
\n\u201cWe are closely aligned with our partners and allies the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, but also, for example, Japan and Australia,\u201d she said.
\nBritish Prime Minister Boris Johnson said Western allies won\u2019t stand by as Russia attacks Ukraine.
\nIn an early morning call, Johnson told Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky that he was appalled by events in Ukraine, according to a statement released by the prime minister\u2019s office.
\n\u201cThe Prime Minister said the West would not stand by as President Putin waged his campaign against the Ukrainian people,\u201d Johnson\u2019s office said in the statement.
\nJohnson added that Ukraine was in the thoughts of everyone in the UK \u201cduring this dark time.\u201d
\nFrench President Emmanuel Macron, who had labored until the last minute for a diplomatic solution, said \u201cFrance firmly condemns Russia\u2019s decision to wage war,\u201d and promised support for Ukraine.
\n\u201cRussia must end its military operations immediately,\u201d Macron said.
\nThe turmoil from the beginning of a long-feared act of aggression rippled from Europe to Asia. Stock markets plunged, oil prices surged, and European aviation officials warned of a high risk to civilian aircraft over Ukraine, reminding air operators that \u201cthis is now an active conflict zone.\u201d
\nThe London Stock Exchange\u2019s leading FTSE 100 index plunged more than 200 points, or 2.7 percent, within moments of opening following Russia\u2019s actions in Ukraine.
\nIn New York, the UN Security Council held an extraordinary emergency meeting meant to dissuade Russia from sending troops into Ukraine. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres\u2019 plea to \u201cgive peace a chance\u201d came just as Russian President Vladimir Putin appeared on Russian TV to announce a military operation that he maintained was to protect civilians in Ukraine.
\nPutin, who said that rebels in eastern Ukraine had asked Moscow for military assistance, warned other countries that any effort to interfere with the Russian operation would lead to \u201cconsequences they have never seen.\u201d
\nAs leaders across Asia and Europe scrambled to condemn the attack, explosions were heard in Kyiv and other cities in Ukraine. Nations around the world this week have also imposed a raft of new sanctions on Russia.
\nMoscow had massed more than 150,000 troops on Ukraine\u2019s borders. On Monday, Putin recognized the independence of two separatist regions in eastern Ukraine and ordered Russian forces there for what he called \u201cpeacekeeping.\u201d Guterres at the UN disputed that, saying the troops were entering another country without its consent.
\nGerman Chancellor Olaf Scholz called Russia\u2019s attack \u201ca terrible day for Ukraine and a dark day for Europe\u201d and \u201ca blatant violation of international law. It cannot be justified by anything.\u201d
\nIn a bulletin Thursday, the European Union Aviation Safety Agency said \u201cthere is a risk of both intentional targeting and misidentification of civil aircraft\u201d and that \u201cthe presence and possible use of a wide range of ground and airborne warfare systems poses a HIGH risk for civil flights operating at all altitudes and flight levels.\u201d
\nAsian stock markets were in turmoil.
\nMarket benchmarks in Tokyo and Seoul fell 2 percent and Hong Kong and Sydney lost more than 3 percent Thursday. Oil prices jumped nearly $3 per barrel on unease about possible disruption of Russian supplies.
\nEarlier, Wall Street\u2019s benchmark S&P 500 index fell 1.8 percent to an eight-month low.
\nRussia seized Ukraine\u2019s Crimea Peninsula in 2014, and pro-Russia rebels have since been fighting Ukrainian forces in the eastern areas of Donetsk and Luhansk. More than 14,000 people have been killed in the conflict.
\nCzech Prime Minister Petr Fiala condemned the Russian attack as \u201cabsolutely unjustified act of aggression against a sovereign state.\u201d Slovakia Prime Minister Eduard Heger called it \u201can unjustified barbarian act.\u201d
\nMany world capitals were trying to determine just what was happening in the tense and fast-changing early moments of a chaotic and violent event.
\n\u201cWe are putting all our effort into collecting the information and comprehending the situation,\u201d Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said shortly after Putin\u2019s announcement. \u201cIt\u2019s important and challenging to secure the safety of Japanese people (in Ukraine). After fully comprehending the situation, we will handle the case properly.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
BRUSSELS The European Union is planning the \u201cstrongest, the harshest package\u201d of sanctions it has ever considered at an emergency summit Thursday as the Russian military attacked Ukraine and world leaders reacted with outrage at Moscow\u2019s actions. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said that \u201cthe target is the stability in Europe and the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-246335","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n