Russian President Vladimir Putin considered the sanctions imposed on his country a "declaration of war", coinciding with the announcement of his forces launching a massive attack in Ukraine.
The US Secretary of State visited the Polish-Ukrainian border and met there with the Ukrainian Foreign Minister and Polish officials.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Saturday that the sanctions imposed on his country amounted to a "declaration of war", but he ruled out any plans to impose martial law or a state of emergency in his country.
In a statement during his visit to a pilot training center of the Russian airline "Aerovolt", Putin added that his country's forces are about to finish destroying the military infrastructure in Ukraine.
He explained that they aim to bring Ukraine into a neutral situation and to disarm it, stressing that Kyiv should be neutral in order not to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization "NATO".
He stated that Ukraine's accession to NATO would lead to a war between Russia and the alliance as a whole.
He stressed that the Russian military operation will not be limited to Donbass only, attributing the reason to the continued acquisition of arms by Ukrainian forces.
"So the Russian army resorted to another way, which is the destruction of the military infrastructure of Ukraine in the first stage," he explained.
He added that the Russian forces are on the verge of completing the destruction of the military infrastructure in Ukraine, indicating that the Russian army is continuing its military operation as planned.
In this context, Putin said, "The imposition of a no-fly zone over Ukraine constitutes participation in hostilities against us," adding that Moscow "has put the nuclear deterrent forces on alert after London's statements about the possibility of NATO intervention in Ukraine."
He pointed out that "the sanctions imposed on us are like declaring war on Russia," but he ruled out any plans to impose martial law or a state of emergency in his country.
Blinken at the Ukrainian border
Today, Saturday, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken visited the Polish-Ukrainian border, which hundreds of thousands of people have crossed to escape since the start of the Russian invasion.
There Blinken met with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba and discussed with him the latest developments in the situation in his country.
Polish officials briefed Blinken on the humanitarian crisis caused by the Russian invasion.
"Poland is doing vital work in facing this crisis it has done a lot to facilitate security assistance to Ukraine," Blinken said at a press conference with Polish Foreign Minister Zbigniew Rau in Rzeszow.
For his part, Rau stressed that Poland will continue to receive refugees, regardless of the nationality, race and religion of any of them.
Blinken arrived in Poland from Brussels, where he met foreign ministers from NATO, the Group of Seven leading industrialized countries and the European Union, on Friday, to discuss the West's efforts to deter Russia through a harsh sanctions program.
The Russian offensive resumes
Russia's Defense Ministry said on Saturday that Russian forces were launching a large-scale offensive in Ukraine and had captured several towns and villages, the Interfax news agency cited the Russian Defense Ministry as saying.
The ministry said that four Ukrainian Su-27 fighter jets were shot down in an air battle near Zhytomyr, about 100 km west of the capital, Kyiv.
The TASS news agency said Russian forces had destroyed 69 aircraft on the ground and 21 in the air, since the start of Russia's war with Ukraine on February 24.
On February 24, Russia launched a military operation in Ukraine, which was followed by angry international reactions and the imposition of "tough" economic and financial sanctions on Moscow.
Erdogan and Michel discuss developments in the attack on Ukraine and the security situation in Europe
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and European Council President Charles Michel discussed in a telephone conversation the developments of the Russian attack on Ukraine. For his part, Michel said, in a post he posted on his social media accounts, that he discussed with Erdogan the critical security situation in Europe.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan discussed with the President of the European Council Charles Michel, in a phone call, on Saturday, the developments of the Russian attack on Ukraine.
According to a statement issued by the Turkish Presidency Communication Department, the two sides discussed the latest developments on the Ukrainian-Russian crisis.
Erdogan assured the European official that they will continue to do everything in their power to restore peace between Russia and Ukraine.
For his part, the President of the European Council, Charles Michel, said in a blog post on his social media accounts that he discussed with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan the critical security situation in Europe.
In his blog, Michel stressed that the alliance is united and strong in the face of the Russian war in Ukraine.
"As the tragic scenes unfold, the focus on stopping the conflict and alleviating human suffering has become urgent," he added.
On February 24, Russia launched a military operation in Ukraine, which was followed by angry international reactions and the imposition of "tough" economic and financial sanctions on Moscow.
Foreign fighters cross the Ukrainian border to fight against Russia
Foreign fighters from different countries of the world crossed the borders of Ukraine to fight alongside its army against the Russian attack. This was in response to the appeal of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who urged the citizens of the world and his country's friends to participate in the defense of Ukraine and Europe against "Russian aggression."
Foreign fighters from different countries of the world crossed the borders of Ukraine to fight alongside its army against the Russian attack.
On the Polish-Ukrainian border, journalists spotted a group of foreign fighters entering the latter's territory.
Speaking to reporters, Niall said he came from Scotland to fight against Russia in Ukraine.
"Niall", who refused to reveal his full name for security reasons, made it clear that Ukraine was fighting a war of independence, and that he came to support it.
On February 27, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky appealed to the citizens of the world and friends of his country to participate in the defense of Ukraine and Europe against "Russian aggression".
Zelensky later issued a presidential decree allowing foreign volunteers wishing to support Ukraine in the face of Russian military intervention to enter the country without a visa.
On February 24, Russia launched a military operation in Ukraine, which was followed by angry international reactions and the imposition of "tough" economic and financial sanctions on Moscow.
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