Western leaders decry Vladimir Putin as Russia launches attacks on Ukraine

Western leaders have responded with fury to Russia’s “barbaric” military attacks on Ukrainian cities and vowed to hold the Kremlin to account for the invasion with a barrage of crippling sanctions.

Shortly after reports broke of explosions near Kyiv, the US president, Joe Biden, accused his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, of choosing a “premeditated war that will bring a catastrophic loss of life and human suffering”.

“The prayers of the world are with the people of Ukraine tonight as they suffer an unprovoked and unjustified attack by Russian military forces,” he said.

“Russia alone is responsible for the death and destruction this attack will bring, and the United States and its allies and partners will respond in a united and decisive way,” Biden said. “The world will hold Russia accountable.”

Biden said he had spoken to the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, on the phone shortly after the attacks began, and said he had told him he and allied partners would be “imposing severe sanctions on Russia” once the G7 leaders had met on Thursday.

“We will continue to provide support and assistance to Ukraine and the Ukrainian people.”

A joint statement issued by the 27 heads of state and government of the EU warned Russia that they would later on Thursday agree on “further restrictive measures that will impose massive and severe consequences on Russia for its action, in close coordination with our transatlantic partners.”

The UK prime minister, Boris Johnson, told the House of Commons that the UK and its allies would respond with “a massive package of sanctions” that will “hobble the Russian economy”.

He said: “Ukraine is a country that for decades has enjoyed freedom and democracy and the right to choose its own destiny. We and the world cannot allow that freedom just to be snuffed out. We cannot and will not just look away.”

A Downing Street spokesperson said the prime minister had told Ukraine’s president he hoped his forces could resist the onslaught.

France’s president, Emmanuel Macron, who had made a last ditch effort to broker peace through a summit between Putin and Biden, was in contact with Zelenskiy on his mobile phone early on Thursday.

He said: “France strongly condemns Russia’s decision to wage war on Ukraine. Russia must end its military operations immediately.

“France stands in solidarity with Ukraine. It stands with the Ukrainians and works with its partners and allies to end the war.”

In a statement, Germany’s chancellor, Olaf Scholz, said: “Germany condemns in the strongest possible terms this unscrupulous act by President Putin. Our solidarity goes out to Ukraine and its people.”

The world “will not forget this day of shame”, Germany’s foreign minister, Annalena Baerbock, said.

Mario Draghi, Italy’s prime minister, who has until now been cautious over imposing the most hard-hitting sanctions on Russia, suggested the EU would be unified in an immediate and tough response.

He said: “The Italian government condemns Russia’s attack on Ukraine. It is unjustified and unjustifiable.

“Italy is close to the Ukrainian people and institutions in this dramatic moment. We are working with European and Nato allies to respond immediately, with unity and determination.”

Japan’s prime minister, Fumio Kishida, said his government strongly condemned Russia’s one-sided aggression. A virtual meeting of the G7, the world’s seven biggest economies, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the UK and the US, is scheduled for later on Thursday.

Ursula von der Leyen and Charles Michel, the presidents of the European Commission and European Council, issued a joint statement in which they promised financial and humanitarian assistance for Kyiv and vowed to “impose massive and severe consequences on Russia for its action”.

Von der Leyen said Putin was responsible “for bringing war back to Europe”, describing the Russian leader’s behaviour as “barbaric”, as she outlined the scale and scope of the punitive measures planned.

She said: “We will hold President Putin accountable for that. With this package, we will target strategic sectors of the Russian economy by blocking their access to key technologies and markets.

“We will weaken Russia’s economic base and its capacity to modernise. In addition, we will freeze Russian assets in the EU and stop the access of Russian banks to the European financial market.”

EU leaders will meet in Brussels on Thursday evening to discuss the long-prepared “full monty” package of sanctions against Russia, which have been designed to cripple the country’s economy.

They range from cutting Russia out of the Swift payment system that lubricates world trade, to imposing export controls on critical goods such as high-tech components that the country cannot replace in the fields of artificial intelligence and weaponry, quantum computers, lasers and space.

The foreign ministers for Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania said in a joint statement that the agreed measures had to include “disengaging Russia from Swift”. They said: “We would need to urgently provide Ukrainian people with weapons, ammunition and any other kind of military support to defend itself.”

Nato secretary general, Jens Stoltenberg, announced that an alliance summit will be held on Friday, with Finland and Sweden in attendance as non-members.

He said: “It will be a new reality, a new Europe after the invasion we saw today”

Following an emergency meeting of the North Atlantic council, the alliance’s political decision making body, new guidance had also been issued to to its military commanders to allow them to more quickly move military forces around Europe, he said.

He said: “We have already increased and we are increasing the presence of Nato troops in the eastern part of the alliance.

“We do not have Nato troops in Ukraine and we do not have plans to send Nato troops to Ukraine.”

Stoltenberg, speaking in Brussels, said that Russia was waging war with air and missile attacks, ground forces and special forces from multiple directions, targeting the military infrastructure and major urban centres.

He said: “This is a brutal act of war. Our thoughts are with the brave people of Ukraine.

“Sadly, what we have warned against for months has come to pass. Despite all calls on Russia to change course and tireless efforts to seek a diplomatic solution.

“Peace in our continent has been shattered. We now have war in Europe, on a scale and of a type we thought belong to history.

“This is a grave moment for the security of Europe.”

Spain’s prime minister, Pedro Sánchez, tweeted: “The government of Spain condemns Russia’s aggression against Ukraine and expresses its solidarity with the Ukrainian government and its people. I remain in close contact with our partners and allies in the European Union and Nato to coordinate our response.”

The United Nations secretary general António Guterres, who had urged Putin just before the assault began to stop his troops from attacking, tweeted an updated plea.

“Under the present circumstances, I must change my appeal: President Putin, in the name of humanity, bring your troops back to Russia,” he said.

“This conflict must stop now.”