Ukraine crisis live: Nato accuses Russia of trying to ‘rewrite entire global security architecture’ | World news

The Russian representative to the UN also spoke earlier during the meeting, accusing Ukraine of being anti-Russian and seemingly unhappy about UN involvement in the Ukraine crisis.

During his remarks, Vasily Nebenzya accused Ukraine of genocide and human rights violations against those living in Donbas, a claim that several sources have flagged as false.

Nebenzya also questioned the title of the UN assembly meeting, arguing that the title should reflect Ukraine losing territory due to its treatment of its own citizens.

Nebenzya, as he wrapped up his speech, said:

We urge you today to focus efforts on reigning in Kyiv and deterring it from conducting a new military adventure that might cost the whole of Ukraine very dearly. Thank you.

Full quote from the Ukrainian foreign minister, Dmytro Kuleba, warning the world about the global consequences of the Ukraine crisis:

I warn every nation in this distinguished chamber, no one will be able to sit out this crisis if President Putin decides that he can move forward with his aggression against Ukraine. Your governments and people will face painful consequences.

The United Nations general assembly meeting is happening now with delegates discussing the Ukraine crisis and Russia’s ongoing aggression.

The UN chief, António Guterres, said: “If the conflict in Ukraine expands, the world could see a scale and severity of need unseen for many years.”

Ukraine’s foreign minister, Dmytro Kuleba, also spoke this morning to the general assembly about Russia’s aggression, urging other delegates that the crisis affects everyone.

“What is happening right now in eastern Ukraine … must be a concern for everyone. For all of you,” said Kuleba.

“No one will be able to sit out this crisis.”

Spain’s foreign minister, José Manuel Albares, recommended today that Spaniards left Ukraine temporarily as soon as possible, reported Reuters.

“We recommend to temporarily leave the country as soon as possible and advise against travelling to Ukraine under any circumstances,” said Albares to a parliamentary committee.

Albares confirmed that about 334 Spaniards remained in Ukraine.

The EU has now adopted its first sanctions package in response to “the decision by the Russian Federation to proceed with the recognition of the non-government controlled areas of the Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts of Ukraine as independent entities, and the subsequent decision to send Russian troops into these areas.”

Josep Borrell, High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, said:

Such decisions are illegal and unacceptable. They violate international law, Ukraine’s territorial integrity and sovereignty, Russia’s own international commitments and further escalate the crisis.

A quote from the Nato secretary general, Jens Stoltenberg, at the alliance’s Stronger Together conference happening today:

There is much at stake in today’s crisis; the risk of conflict is real. Russia is using force and ultimatums not only to redraw borders in Europe, but to try to rewrite the entire global security architecture.

The Nato secretary general, Jens Stoltenberg, is currently speaking at a conference with the Dutch prime minister, Mark Rutte, highlighting some developments in the Russia-Ukraine situation.

You can also watch the conference here.

Ukraine’s minister of digital transformation confirmed that Ukrainian banks were hit by a DDOS attack on Wednesday, following a series of cyber-attacks last week, reported Reuters.

Many Ukrainian state websites, such as the government and foreign ministry home page, were not accessible today.

Ukrainian authorities also confirmed that they had seen online warnings this week about hackers planning major attacks on government agencies, banks, and other sectors.

This story is developing – stay tuned.

Reuters, citing Interfax, is reporting that another DDOS cyber-attack has started in Ukraine.

The Guardian understands that the attack has hit the websites of the parliament, cabinet ministers, the ministry of foreign affairs and the security service.

It follows earlier cyber-attacks.

Russia has started evacuating diplomatic staff from all of its missions in Ukraine, TASS news agency reported on Wednesday, citing a representative of the Russian Embassy in Kyiv.

The embassy and the consulate general in Odessa were seen on Wednesday with Russian flags taken down.

“Several cars left the territory of the consulate in the morning,” a member of the Ukrainian National Guard who was on duty near the Russian consulate in Odessa told Reuters.

Russia’s foreign ministry announced an evacuation of diplomatic staff from Ukraine for what it called safety reasons on Tuesday, a day after President Vladimir Putin recognised independence of two breakaway regions in Ukraine’s east and ordered Russian troops “to keep peace” there, while massing military along Ukrainian borders.

(Via Reuters)

Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, has demanded “immediate” security guarantees from the west and Moscow to avert a feared Russian invasion.

Zelenskiy made his comments as Russia began to evacuate diplomats from its Kyiv embassy after Moscow formally approved the use of military force abroad.

During a joint media appearance with the visiting leaders of Poland and Lithuania on Wednesday, Zelenskiy said:

Ukraine needs security guarantees. Clear, specific, and immediate. I believe that Russia must be among those countries giving clear security guarantees.

Zelenskiy said that he made repeated offers to meet President Putin in an effort to head off the threat of an all-out conflict breaking out in eastern Europe.

Many times now, I have offered the Russian president a chance to sit down at the negotiating table and talk. This is a question of dialogue.

He also thanked Poland and Lithuania, two close Ukrainian allies, for keeping their embassies in Kyiv open despite the rising fears of a Russian attack.

It is an “obscene perversion” for Putin to speak of Russian soldiers acting as peacekeepers in Ukraine, Australia’s foreign minister, Marise Payne, has said.

Speaking during a visit to Prague, Payne said:

Any suggestions that there is a legitimate basis for Russia’s actions are pure propaganda and disinformation.

The assertion by President Putin of Russian soldiers acting as peacekeepers is indeed an obscene perversion of the noble and vital role that generations of peacekeepers have played across the world.

(Via Reuters)