“This is a disaster for our continent. This morning I will address the nation about the Russian invasion of Ukraine. I will also communicate with other G7 leaders and call for an urgent meeting of all NATO leaders as soon as possible,” Johnson wrote.
This is a catastrophe for our continent.
I will make an address to the nation this morning on the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
I will also speak to fellow G7 leaders and I am calling for an urgent meeting of all NATO leaders as soon as possible.
— Boris Johnson (@BorisJohnson) February 24, 2022
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Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland initiate consultations in NATO on the basis of Article 4 agreements alliance, reported on the website of the Estonian government. “According to Article 4 of the NATO treaty, Allies consult whenever, in the opinion of one of them, the territorial integrity, political sovereignty or security of any of the members of the treaty is threatened,” the statement said.
“The large-scale military aggression of Russia poses a danger to the whole world and all NATO states, therefore, it is necessary to initiate NATO consultations on the issue of strengthening the protection of the Alliance member countries in order to take additional measures to strengthen the security of the NATO member countries. The most significant response to the large-scale Russian aggression is unity,” said Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas.
Article 4 consultations could lead to collective action by 30 NATO member states, notes CNN with reference to the press service of the Alliance.
Article 4 has been applied six times since the formation of the Alliance in 1949, five of them by Turkey. In addition, Poland applied Article 4 in 2014, following the previous Russian aggression in Ukraine.
Around 5.00 on February 24, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a “special military operation” Russian troops in Ukraine. He stated that her goal is “demilitarization and denazification of Ukraine”.
After Putin’s appeal in many cities of Ukraine, including Kiev, Kharkov, Dnipro, Odessa began to report the sounds of explosions.
Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Valery Zaluzhny said that around 5.00 the armed forces of the Russian Federation began shelling Ukrainian positions in the east of the countryinflicted missile and bomb strikes on airfields and military facilities of the Armed Forces. At the same time, Russia began shelling the territory of Ukraine along the state border and on the border with the temporarily occupied Crimea.
The State Border Service of Ukraine reported that Russia attacked the border of Ukraine in five regions (Lugansk, Sumy, Kharkov, Chernihiv and Zhytomyr), including from Belarus.
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky on the morning of February 24 announced martial law countrywide. The Verkhovna Rada approved this decision.
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