Putin puts nuclear deterrent on alert; West squeezes Russian economy

KYIV/MOSCOW, Feb 27 (Reuters) – President Vladimir Putin put Russia’s nuclear deterrent on excessive alert on Sunday within the face of a barrage of Western reprisals for his struggle on Ukraine, which mentioned it had repelled Russian floor forces attacking its greatest cities.

America mentioned Putin was escalating the struggle with “harmful rhetoric”, amid indicators that the most important assault on a European state since World Battle Two was not producing speedy victories, however as an alternative producing a far-reaching and concerted Western response.

Lower than 4 days after it began, the invasion has triggered a Western political, strategic, financial and company response unprecedented in its extent and coordination.

“With this struggle on Ukraine, the world won’t ever be the identical once more,” EU’s international coverage chief Josef Borrell wrote in an opinion piece within the Guardian newspaper.

“It’s now, greater than ever, the time for societies and alliances to return collectively to construct our future on belief, justice and freedom. It’s the second to face up and to talk out. May doesn’t make proper. By no means did. By no means will,” he mentioned.

The 27-nation European Union on Sunday determined for the primary time in its historical past to provide weapons to a rustic at struggle. A supply informed Reuters it could ship 450 million euros ($507 million) of weaponry to Ukraine. Borrell at a information convention mentioned EU’s assist would come with offering fighter jets.

The European Union’s chief government Ursula von der Leyen expressed assist for Ukraine’s membership in an interview with Euronews, saying “they’re considered one of us.” learn extra Ukraine, a democratic nation of 44 million folks, received independence from Moscow in 1991 on the fall of the Soviet Union and has pushed to hitch the NATO Western navy alliance and the EU, targets Russia vehemently opposes.

The rouble plunged practically 30% to an all-time low versus the greenback early on Monday, after Western nations on Saturday unveiled harsh sanctions together with blocking some banks from the SWIFT worldwide funds system. On Sunday, the president of impartial Switzerland mentioned he anticipated his authorities to comply with the EU with Russia sanctions and freezing Russian property. learn extra

NEGOTIATIONS

The Ukrainian president’s workplace mentioned negotiations with Moscow with out preconditions can be held on the Belarusian-Ukrainian border. Russian information company Tass in a while Sunday cited an unidentified supply as saying the talks would begin on Monday morning.

As missiles fell on Ukrainian cities, practically 400,000 civilians, primarily girls and kids, have fled into neighbouring nations, a U.N. reduction company mentioned. Tons of had been stranded in Kyiv on Sunday ready for trains to take them west, away from the preventing.

The capital remained in Ukrainian authorities palms, with President Volodymyr Zelenskiy rallying his folks every day regardless of Russian shelling of civilian infrastructure.

The EU shut all Russian planes out of its airspace, as did Canada, forcing Russian airline Aeroflot to cancel all flights to European locations till additional discover. With flight choices dwindling, the US and France urged their residents to think about leaving Russia instantly. learn extra

The EU additionally banned the Russian media retailers RT and Sputnik.

Germany, which had already frozen a deliberate undersea fuel pipeline from Russia, mentioned it could enhance defence spending massively, eliminating many years of reluctance to match its financial energy with navy clout. learn extra

British oil main BP BP, the most important international investor in Russia, mentioned it was abandoning its stake in state oil firm Rosneft (ROSN.MM) at a value of as much as $25 billion, shrinking its oil and fuel reserves in half. learn extra

A number of European subsidiaries of Sberbank Russia, majority owned by the Russian authorities, had been failing or had been more likely to fail as a consequence of reputational value of the struggle in Ukraine, the European Central Financial institution, the lenders’ supervisor, mentioned. learn extra

‘NOT DETERRENCE BUT THREAT’

At the least 352 civilians, together with 14 kids, have been killed and 1,684 folks have been wounded, Ukraine’s Well being Ministry mentioned.

Putin, who has referred to as the invasion a “particular operation”, thrust an alarming new component into play when he ordered Russia’s “deterrence forces” – which wield nuclear weapons – onto excessive alert.

He has justified the invasion by saying “neo-Nazis” rule Ukraine and threaten Russia’s safety – a cost Kyiv and Western governments say is baseless propaganda.

On Sunday, he cited aggressive statements by NATO leaders and the raft of financial sanctions imposed on Russia by the West.

“Not solely do Western nations take unfriendly measures in opposition to our nation within the financial dimension – I imply the unlawful sanctions that everybody is aware of about very effectively – but additionally the highest officers of main NATO nations enable themselves to make aggressive statements on the subject of our nation,” he mentioned on state tv.

Putin beforehand referred to his nuclear arsenal in a speech asserting the beginning of the invasion on Thursday, saying Russia’s response to any nation that stood in its approach can be instant and carry “penalties that you’ve by no means encountered in your historical past”.

The EU’s Borrell mentioned Russia had clearly threatened a nuclear assault on nations supporting Ukraine after the invasion. “We’re afraid that Russia will not be going to cease in Ukraine,” he mentioned.

U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield, on the U.N. Safety Council, urged “Russia to tone down this harmful rhetoric relating to nuclear weapons.”

A U.S. defence official mentioned Washington was making an attempt to evaluate what Putin’s announcement meant, however that it elevated the hazard from any miscalculation. learn extra

Moscow acknowledged that Russian troopers had been killed and wounded, however mentioned its losses had been far decrease than these suffered by Ukraine, the Interfax information company reported. Moscow has not launched casualty figures.

In New York, the U.N. Safety Council convened a uncommon emergency assembly of the U.N. Normal Meeting, or all of the United Nations’ 193 member states, for Monday.

Rolling protests have been held all over the world in opposition to the invasion, together with in Russia, the place nearly 6,000 folks have been detained at anti-war protests since Thursday, the OVD-Data protest monitor mentioned. learn extra

Tens of hundreds of individuals throughout Europe marched in protest, together with greater than 100,000 in Berlin. learn extra

BATTLE FOR KHARKIV

A Ukrainian state information company mentioned that Russian troops had blown up a pure fuel pipeline in Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second largest metropolis, sending a burning cloud into the sky.

Quickly after, Russian armour rolled into Kharkiv, in northwest Ukraine, and witnesses reported firing and explosions. However metropolis authorities mentioned the assault had been repelled.

Reuters was unable to corroborate the knowledge.

Ukrainian forces additionally seemed to be holding off Russian troops advancing on Kyiv however the Ukrainian armed forces described Sunday as “a troublesome time”, saying Russian troops “proceed shelling in nearly all instructions”.

Satellite tv for pc imagery launched by the non-public Maxar Applied sciences taken on Sunday confirmed a 5 km (3.25 mile) lengthy convoy of Russian floor forces together with tanks roughly 40 miles (64 km) away heading in the direction of Kyiv. Reuters couldn’t independently confirm the pictures.

“We’ve withstood and are efficiently repelling enemy assaults. The preventing goes on,” Zelenskiy mentioned within the newest of a number of video messages from the streets of Kyiv. learn extra

Reporting by Maria Tsvetkova, Aleksandar Vasovic in Kyiv; Natalia Zinets and Matthias Williams in Lviv; Alan Charlish in Medyka, Poland; Fedja Grulovic in Sighetu Marmatiei, Romania; and different Reuters bureaux together with Moscow; Writing by Frank Jack Daniel, Angus MacSwan, Kevin Liffey and Humeyra Pamuk; Modifying by David Clarke and Grant McCool

Our Requirements: The Thomson Reuters Belief Ideas.