G7 nations threatened further sanctions on Russia over Ukraine’s invasion and vowed to crack down on “Russia’s disinformation campaign” as Moscow continued its assault on Kyiv.
“Any armed attack on and threat against nuclear facilities devoted to peaceful purposes constitutes a violation of the principles of international law,” G7 members said.
Amid the fighting, Ukraine’s presidential adviser said Russia’s attempts to advance on the Black Sea port of Mykolayiv was repulsed even as attacks continued in capital Kyiv.
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NATO however declared that it would not be sending its troops to Ukrainian territory and won’t be sending planes to Ukraine’s airspace.
“If we did that, we’ll end up with something that could end in a full-fledged war in Europe, involving many more countries and causing much more human suffering,” NATO chief Stoltenberg said. Kyiv has repeatedly demanded NATO to shut Ukrainian airspace.
Watch: WION reports from the western Ukrainian city of Lviv
However, the EU said it was ready to hit Russia with a new wave of sanctions as the European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen said: “To be very clear, we are ready to take further severe measures if Putin does not stop and reverse the war he has unleashed.”
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US Secretary of state Anthony Blinken sought to keep pressure on Russia “until the war is over”.
Meanwhile, Russia’s ambassador to the United Nations denied Russian forces had shelled the nuclear power plant in Ukraine.
“These statements are simply untrue,” Russia’s ambassador Vassily Nebenzia told the UNSC. “This is all part of an unprecedented campaign of lies and disinformation against Russia,” he added.
(With inputs from Agencies)
(With inputs from Agencies)
