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In a statement issued Wednesday evening following the explosions in Ukraine, US President Joe Biden criticised Russia’s “unprovoked and unlawful action by Russian armed troops.”
According to a senior Biden administration source, the US and its allies intend to impose the “full extent” of penalties discussed in recent weeks in retaliation to the assault on Thursday.
“President Putin has chosen a deliberate conflict that will result in devastating casualties and immeasurable misery,” Biden stated. “Russia is solely responsible for the death and devastation caused by this assault, and the Unified States, its allies, and partners will respond in a united and decisive manner. Russia will be held responsible by the rest of the world.”
The White House statement was issued in reaction to explosions around Ukraine, including in Kyiv. In televised statements shortly before the explosions, Russian President Vladmir Putin launched a “special military operation” and called for Ukraine’s “demilitarisation.”
In an official WhatsApp group for journalists, Anton Gerashchenko, an assistant to Ukraine’s interior minister, stated Russia’s “invasion has begun” with “missile attacks on Kyiv.”
According to a senior US official familiar with the latest US information, the US believes this is the commencement of the complete Russian invasion.
According to the source, the explosions heard between Kyiv and Odessa are most likely missiles, while those reported near Kharkiv in eastern Ukraine are most likely artillery, given the proximity to the border.
Wednesday evening, Biden conducted a secure conversation with members of his national security staff from the White House, according to White House press secretary Jen Psaki. She said Biden was accompanied by Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley, and national security advisor Jake Sullivan.
Biden also spoke with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on the phone. Biden said in a statement that he informed Zelensky on “the efforts we are taking to galvanise worldwide outrage, including tonight at the United Nations Security Council.”
“He urged me to call on international leaders to speak out strongly against President Putin’s brazen actions and to stand with the people of Ukraine,” Biden added.
In a speech delivered Thursday morning in Ukraine, Zelensky declared martial law across the nation and asked Ukrainians to remain calm.
“There is no need to be concerned. We are powerful. We are prepared for everything “He stated. “Because we are Ukraine, we shall win over everyone.”
Biden stated that he will meet with his G-7 peers and deliver an address to the American people on Thursday. He stated that he expected to reveal “additional penalties” that the United States and its allies planned to inflict on Russia for “this reckless act of aggression against Ukraine and world peace and security.”
