On February 24, German Vice Chancellor and Economy Minister Robert Habek announced that the package of sanctions developed by the European Union together with the United States would largely block Russia’s access to the international market.
According to him, these measures were supposed to prevent the outbreak of an armed conflict between Russia and Ukraine and become an “instrument of pressure.” However, now the sanctions will have to contribute to the resumption of diplomatic relations between the countries.
“We will adopt a tough package of sanctions in the EU together with partners in the US, a package of sanctions that will cut off the Russian economy from industrial advantages … attack and freeze asset markets, financial markets, significantly limit access to the European and American markets,” Habek said during a briefing .
Earlier in the day, the Russian government prepared measures to protect financial markets and Russian companies from sanctions.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on February 24 announced that the country with allies would introduce “large-scale sanctions” against Russia. Prior to this, the President of the European Council Charles Michel and the head of the European Commission condemned Russia’s actions in the Donbass and called for the withdrawal of troops.
On February 24, Russian President Vladimir Putin said in a televised address that, in response to an appeal from the leaders of the Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics (DPR and LPR), he had decided to conduct an operation to protect Donbass. The Russian leader stressed that Moscow’s plans do not include the occupation of Ukrainian territories.
After that, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky accused Russia of hitting the country’s military infrastructure and introduced martial law throughout the country. By order of Zelensky, the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine (NSDC) will meet on February 24.
The Russian Defense Ministry, meanwhile, said that the army did not carry out air, missile or artillery strikes on the cities of Ukraine.
They stressed that nothing threatens the civilian population of the country. High-precision weapons disable military infrastructure: military airfields, aviation, air defense facilities of the armed forces of Ukraine.
On February 21, the heads of the DPR and LPR, Denis Pushilin and Leonid Pasechnik, asked Putin to recognize the independence of the republics. The corresponding decrees were signed in the evening of the same day. In the presence of the leaders of the republics, the President of the Russian Federation also signed treaties of friendship, cooperation and assistance.
Since 2014, the Ukrainian authorities have been carrying out a military operation against the inhabitants of Donbass, who refused to recognize the results of the coup d’état and the new government in Ukraine. At the same time, Kiev blames Moscow for the current situation. Russia has repeatedly stressed that it is not a party to the conflict.
Source: IZ
Jane Stock is a technology author, who has written for 24 Hours World. She writes about the latest in technology news and trends, and is always on the lookout for new and innovative ways to improve his audience’s experience.
