(Paris) The invasion of Ukraine launched on Thursday by Russian President Vladimir has sparked a wave of condemnation, mainly among Westerners.
Posted at 8:24
Updated at 9:08 a.m.
United States
President Joe Biden denounced the “unjustified attack” against Ukraine, accusing Russia of having started a “premeditated war”, for which it will be solely “responsible”.
UN
“In the name of humanity, bring your troops back to Russia!” UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres asked Vladimir Putin. “This is the saddest moment of my mandate” at the head of the UN, he added.
European Union
“We strongly condemn Russia’s unjustified attack on Ukraine,” said European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Charles Michel, saying the offensive was “unprovoked”.
The 27 are preparing a new set of sanctions, the “severest never implemented” against Russia, which will force it “to an unprecedented isolation”, declared Josep Borrell, the head of EU diplomacy .
China
China “understands Russia’s reasonable security concerns,” Foreign Minister Wang Yi said.
France
Vladimir Putin “has decided to carry the most serious attack on peace, on stability in our Europe for decades”, declared President Emmanuel Macron, assuring that France and its allies would be “without weakness” in deciding Thursday evening of sanctions against Russia “in proportion to the aggression of which it is guilty”.
Germany
The Russian invasion is “a flagrant violation” of international law that “undermines peace” in Europe and threatens “the lives of countless innocent people”, said German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, whose country says it is ready to ” help massively” its neighbours, in particular Poland, in the event of an influx of Ukrainian refugees. He summoned the deputies for Sunday.
Sanctions against Russia will “significantly limit” its access to international markets, Berlin has also warned.
UK
Prime Minister Boris Johnson condemned the “horrible events in Ukraine”, a “catastrophe for the European continent”. Calling the Russian president a “dictator”, Mr Johnson promised “massive” Western sanctions to thwart Vladimir Putin’s “atrocious and barbaric enterprise”.
The Archbishop of Canterbury, Church of England Primate Justin Welby and the Archbishop of York called the “horrific and unprovoked attack on Ukraine” an “evil act”.
NATO
Atlantic Alliance Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg condemned “Russia’s reckless and unprovoked attack on Ukraine”.
He announced a summit of NATO leaders by videoconference on Friday, “to analyze the way forward” and the activation of “defense plans in order to be able to deploy the capacity of the reaction force where it will be necessary” .
Italy
The Russian attack is “unjustified and unjustifiable,” said Prime Minister Mario Draghi, who urged Moscow to “unconditionally withdraw its military forces” from Ukraine.
Council of Europe
The Council of Europe, an intergovernmental organization to which Russia adheres and which had taken sanctions against Moscow after the annexation of Crimea in 2014, “strongly” condemned the Russian offensive. He described it as a “flagrant violation” of his status and promised to “quickly take the necessary measures”, while calling on “the Russian authorities for an immediate and unconditional cessation of hostilities”.
Turkey
“We reject this unacceptable operation”, which is “a blow to regional peace and stability”, declared Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, whose country is a member of NATO and borders the Black Sea, like Russia and Ukraine.
Iran
“We don’t see war as a solution,” reacted Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, for whom “the Ukrainian crisis has its roots in NATO provocations.”
Japan
The Russian attack in Ukraine “shakes the foundations of the international order”, denounced Japanese Prime Minister Fumion Kishida.
Greece
The Russian invasion is a “flagrant and unprovoked violation of international law” and an attempt to “revise history by armed force”, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said.
Australia
Prime Minister Scott Morrison has announced a “second round” of sanctions against Russian civil or legal persons.
Spain
Madrid “stands in solidarity with the government and people of Ukraine”, tweeted the head of government Pedro Sanchez.
Nordic countries
Finland and Sweden, non-NATO members, condemned the Russian attack, separately lamenting “an attack on the European security order”.
For its part, Norway, a member of the Atlantic Alliance, denounced a “serious violation of international law” and announced the move of its embassy from Kiev to Lviv, in western Ukraine. Denmark called February 24, 2022 a “stain in Russian history”.