“I have decided to conduct a special military operation ... to protect people who have been subjected to bullying and
genocide ... for the last eight years. And for this we will strive for the demilitarisation and denasification of Ukraine. And
to bring to court those who committed numerous bloody crimes against civilians, including against citizens of the Russian
Federation.”
Vladimir Putin, President of Russia
“Putin has just launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Peaceful Ukrainian cities are under strikes.”
Dmytro Kuleba, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine
“President Putin has chosen a premeditated war that will bring a catastrophic loss of life and human suffering ... I will be
meeting with the leaders of the G7 and the US and our allies and partners will be imposing severe sanctions on Russia.”
Joe Biden, President of the United States
“Our work is part of a partnership, and we are proud to take these actions alongside the EU and Canada, dozens of other
countries, and thousands of people around the World. A humanitarian crisis of this scale will require our continued
attention. We stand united with the people of Ukraine and we will continue to stand up for them.”
Kamala Harris, Vice President of the United States
“President Putin is responsible for bringing war back to Europe ... We will target strategic sectors of the Russian economy
by blocking their access to key technologies and markets. We will weaken Russia’s economic base and its capacity to
modernise. In addition, we will freeze Russian assets in the EU and stop the access of Russian banks to the European
financial market.”
Ursula von der Leyen, European Commission President