Ukraine's Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba on Wednesday, 23 February, said that 40 million Ukrainians only want to live in peace and solidarity, Russia's accusations of Ukraine were absurd and that Ukraine had never threatened or attacked anyone.
Kuleba was addressing the United Nations General Assembly, which met to discuss the "situation in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine".
Earlier, United States President Joe Biden said that the US and its allies had no intention of fighting Russia but would defend every inch of NATO territory.
His statement came shortly after Russia began evacuating its diplomatic staff from Ukraine.
Meanwhile, Russia’s defence minister, Sergei Shoigu, and the commanders-in-chief of the Russian Air Force and Black Sea Fleet are expected to be targeted in EU sanctions to be announced later on Wednesday.
Earlier in the day, Ukraine's top security official said that the country would be introducing a state of emergency in all Ukrainian territory apart from Donetsk and Luhansk regions. The state of emergency would last 30 days and can be extended for another 30 days, the official further said, as per Reuters.
On Tuesday, US President Joe Biden had announced that the US was imposing sanctions on two major Russian state-owned financial institutions – VEB and Russia’s military bank – in response to Russia's upper house voting to allow President Vladimir Putin to use the Russian Army abroad to support the Ukrainian separatists.
While announcing the sanctions, Biden commented on the recognition of the independence of two rebel-held areas of the Donetsk and Lugansk in Ukraine and said, "This is the beginning of a Russian invasion of Ukraine. Who in the Lord’s name does Putin think gives him the right to declare new so-called 'countries' on territory that belonged to his neighbours?"
Japan and Canada have also announced sanctions on Russia a day after Moscow recognised the Ukraine separatist regions of Donetsk and Luhansk as independent. Meanwhile, China's foreign ministry said on Wednesday that it opposes any sanctions on Russia.
Putin has blamed NATO for "pumping modern weapons and ammunition" into Ukraine and warned against Ukraine joining NATO, a move it feels brings Western Europe closer to the Russian borders
Both NATO and Ukraine have rejected this demand
Air India plane brought 240 Indians from Ukraine to Delhi airport.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Tuesday said that as a long-feared Russian invasion of Ukraine appeared imminent, he would stop the approval process of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline from Russia, in view of the crisis
The UK had announced a series of sanctions against Russia on Tuesday, including on five banks that have had their assets frozen, along with three Russian billionaires - who will also be hit with UK travel bans
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Russian Invasion Could Displace 5 Million People, Warns US
The United States told the UN General Assembly on Wednesday that as many as five million people could be displaced if Russia invaded Ukraine.
"If Russia continues down this path, it could - according to our estimates - create a new refugee crisis, one of the largest facing the world today," Linda Thomas-Greenfield, America's ambassador to the UN, said.
World Facing a Moment of Peril: UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres on Wednesday said that the world was facing a "moment of peril" over the Russia-Ukraine tensions.
Guterres was addressing the UN's General Assembly and said that it is the time for "restraint, reason and de-escalation" to avoid "a scale and severity of need unseen for many years", reported the BBC.
"It is time to establish a ceasefire and return to the path of dialogue and negotiation," he added.
Guterres further said that he was "fully committed to resolve this crisis without further bloodshed".
'Ban on Goods from Non-Govt Controlled Areas of the Donetsk and Luhansk Oblasts'
"There will be an import ban on goods from non-govt controlled areas of the Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts, restrictions on trade and investments related to certain economic sectors, a prohibition to supply tourism services, and an export ban for certain goods and technologies," the EU further said, according to ANI.
Targeted Restrictive Measures to be Imposed on Additional 27 High-Profile Individuals and Entities
"Moreover targeted restrictive measures will be imposed on additional 27 high-profile individuals and entities, who have played a role in undermining or threatening the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of Ukraine," the European Council of the European Union further said, as per ANI.