Ukraine on conflict with Russia: state of emergency to be declared

Ukraine has announced a nationwide state of emergency and has urged its compatriots to leave Russia. Putin accuses the West of ignorance and a lack of answers.

Ukraine wants to introduce a state of emergency in most parts of the country. This was announced by the country’s top security officer. It will initially be valid for 30 days and can be extended by a further 30 days. It has been in force in the separatist areas since 2014.

In addition, Ukraine called on its citizens to leave Russia “immediately”. This was announced by the Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Earlier estimates put the number of Ukrainians living in Russia, either permanently or temporarily, at more than three million.

The Ambassador of Ukraine in Germany Andriy Melnyk said in an interview with tagesschau24, the danger of a “huge war in the middle of Europe” has grown massively with Vladimir Putin’s announcement that he would recognize the separatist areas. According to Melnyk, he would like Germany to provide not only economic aid but also defensive weapons.

“Meet his business and cronies”

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba has called for tougher sanctions against Russia. “In order to deter (Russian President Vladimir) Putin from further aggression, we call on our partners to impose more sanctions against Russia now,” Kuleba wrote on Twitter.

He expressed gratitude for the sanctions imposed on Russia the day before, but called for further increasing the pressure on Putin. “Meet his economy and cronies. Hit more. Hit now.”

President Putin accused the West of ignoring Russian security interests. “Our country is always open to direct and open dialogue, to seeking diplomatic solutions to the most difficult problems,” said in a video message marking Defender of the Fatherland Day, a holiday on which Russia and other ex-Soviet states honor their armed forces. “But I repeat: the interests of Russia and the safety of our citizens are unconditional for us.”

Moscow’s calls for guarantees that one country’s security will not come at the expense of another have remained unanswered, Putin said. Among other things, Russia is demanding an end to NATO’s eastward expansion and, in particular, a waiver of neighboring Ukraine’s membership in the military alliance.