On the night of February 24, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced the start of a war against Ukraine, calling it a “special military operation in the Donbass” in order to protect people who “have been subjected to genocide by the Kiev regime for eight years.” Putin’s claims of genocide have previously been refuted by the European Union and the UN. Western politicians accused the Russian president of lying. President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky announced the severance of diplomatic relations with Russia. The Council of Europe suspended Russia’s membership in the organization. Vladimir Putin and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov are included in the sanctions lists of the European Union and Great Britain. NATO is deploying rapid reaction forces to the eastern flank to contain Russia. DW is following developments on Saturday, February 26th (Moscow time).
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Bulgaria will close the airspace for Russian carriers from February 26. This was reported by the Ministry of Transport and Communications of the country. According to him, this step is a response to the escalation of the military conflict and a sign of solidarity with Ukraine.
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President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky held telephone conversations with US leader Joe Biden. Zelensky reported this conversation to the Twitter microblog. According to him, the parties discussed tougher sanctions, specific assistance in defense matters and an “anti-war coalition.” “Grateful to the United States for the strong support of Ukraine!” – wrote the head of state.
The American side also commented on the conversation. “I commended the brave actions of the Ukrainian people who are fighting to defend their country,” Biden said in a statement released after the call. The President of the United States confirmed Washington’s continued economic and humanitarian assistance to Kiev, support for Ukraine in the field of security, as well as ongoing efforts to attract other countries to similar steps.
Time.news of events February 25 >>>
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