International reactions to Russia’s military special operation

Through a special message to Russian citizens, Russian President Vladimir Putin  declared  on Thursday that he had made “the decision to carry out a special military operation” to defend Donbass, maintaining that the objective of the operation is “to protect people who have been subjected to abuse and genocide by the Kiev regime for eight years.” Since then, international reactions have been precipitated. 

NATO activates defense plans

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg reported Thursday that the members of the military alliance have activated collective defense plans and said that Moscow “has closed the door” to reach a solution to the conflict through diplomatic channels. 

“They give our military commanders  more authority to move forces and deploy forces  when necessary, and of course these could also be elements of the NATO response force,” Stoltenberg said in a  speech  dedicated to the situation in Ukraine.

However, the secretary general assured that the Atlantic Alliance has no plans to deploy its troops on the territory of Ukraine: “There are no NATO combat troops, there are no NATO troops at all inside Ukraine. And we have declared that there are no We have no plans, no intention to deploy NATO troops in Ukraine,” he said.

Stoltenberg also confirmed that he has called a summit of the member countries, which will be held virtually this Friday, February 25, and will include the participation of Finland and Sweden as guests.

The EU prepares sanctions

The European Commission, through its president, Ursula Von der Leyen, accompanied by the High Representative of the European Union (EU) for Foreign Affairs, Josep Borrell, condemned the “unprecedented aggression”, threatening the imposition of “massive sanctions”.

“We will freeze Russian assets in the EU and  stop Russian banks’ access to our financial market ,” von der Leyen added. This action, according to the commissioner, aims to “take a heavy toll on the Kremlin’s ability to finance the war.”

For his part, the President of Spain, Pedro Sánchez, wrote  this morning on his official Twitter profile that his government “condemns Russia’s aggression against Ukraine and stands in solidarity with the Ukrainian government and people.” In addition, he announced that he is in “close contact” with members of the European Union (EU) and NATO to “coordinate” a response.

After the meeting of the National Security Council, Sánchez made an institutional statement in which he assured that “violations against international law and against the sovereignty and territorial integrity of third parties cannot go unpunished “, in addition to warning that the situation will have economic consequences , especially in the energy markets.

The president of France, Emmanuel Macron, pronounced himself in a very similar way, who in recent weeks has opted for a negotiated solution to the crisis. “France strongly condemns Russia’s decision to declare war on Ukraine. Russia must end its military operations immediately,” said Macron, who also expressed solidarity with Ukraine and stated that “it is working with its partners and allies to end war”.

For his part, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz called the Russian military operation a “flagrant violation of international law” and “a terrible day for Ukraine and a dark day for Europe.” He also showed his solidarity with Ukraine and his commitment to coordination with its allies.

The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Boris Johnson, responded more harshly: “The United Kingdom and our allies will respond decisively,” he said, after describing the events of this morning as “horrible events” and maintaining that “Putin has chosen a path of bloodshed and destruction”.

China calls for calm and the US says it will respond decisively

For its part, China called on all parties to remain measured and prevent the situation from getting out of control. ” We urge all parties to exercise restraint to prevent the situation from getting out of control,” Chinese diplomatic spokeswoman Hua Chunying told reporters.

Likewise, Beijing advocates not closing the doors to peace and remaining committed to dialogue and negotiation,  added  the official, stating that the situation between Ukraine and Russia reflects a complex historical background.

Much more belligerent was US President Joe Biden , who maintains that Russia is solely “responsible for the death and destruction that this attack will bring.”

The White House occupant vowed to address his nation on Thursday to announce “additional consequences” that the US and its allies plan to impose on Russia for “this unnecessary act of aggression against Ukraine and world peace and security.”

“We will also coordinate with our NATO allies to ensure  a strong and united response  that will deter any aggression against the Alliance,” Biden said.

Bachelet calls for an immediate end to hostilities

The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet, called for an “immediate” end to hostilities and said that “this military action clearly violates international law and puts the lives of countless civilians at risk.”

Thus, he has pointed out that  “the protection of the civilian population must be a priority” and that “the use of weapons and explosives in populated areas must be avoided at all costs.”

He also stated that along with the military actions there is “an information war” underway and has assessed that “it is particularly crucial at this time that we continue to closely monitor and try to verify reports of human rights violations.”

Voices from Latin America

From Mexico , President Andrés Manuel López Obrador called for dialogue to resolve the conflict and for the use of force to cease.

“We are not in favor of any war, Mexico is a country that has always spoken out for peace and for the peaceful solution of controversies, it is even in our Constitution,” the president said in his morning press conference.

 

He also said that his country is prepared for a possible energy and economic crisis. “We have been prepared for some time so that, if the price of imported gas increases a lot, we can start up all the electricity generation plants that do not require gas to avoid the increase in costs,” he emphasized.

For its part, Argentina makes its “firmest rejection” of the use of armed force and deeply regrets the escalation of the situation generated in Ukraine.

 

“Just and lasting solutions are only achieved through dialogue and mutual commitments that ensure essential peaceful coexistence,” says a statement from the Argentine Foreign Ministry, in which they call on Russia to cease military actions in Ukraine.

The president of Colombia , Iván Duque, for his part, pointed out that his government “categorically rejects the attack that has been perpetrated against the Ukrainian people by Russia”, which in his opinion has been “premeditated and unjustified”.

“Colombia categorically rejects the war, and joins all the voices of the international community that today call for a rapid withdrawal of Russian troops from Ukrainian territory,” he said.

From Chile , President Sebastián Piñera urged Russia to respect the Geneva Conventions on international humanitarian law and announced that they will collaborate with other countries to seek a peaceful solution to the conflict, within the framework of international law and the United Nations charter.

Meanwhile, the president-elect of that South American country, Gabriel Boric, after condemning Russia’s actions, said : “From Chile we condemn the invasion of Ukraine, the violation of its sovereignty and the illegitimate use of force. Our solidarity will be with the victims and our humble efforts with peace”.

In Ecuador , Foreign Minister Juan Carlos Holguín expressed his rejection of “the hostile acts that began yesterday in Ukraine.”

He pointed out that Ecuador is a country affected by what is happening, considering that there are more than 700 Ecuadorians in Ukraine and hundreds of others in Russia.

Meanwhile, the Brazilian  Ministry of Foreign Affairs reported that they are following the situation “with grave concern” and called for “the immediate suspension of hostilities and the start of negotiations leading to a diplomatic solution to the problem.”

The Bolivian  Foreign Ministry lamented that “the lack of dialogue and understanding has caused a further escalation of the conflict” and urged the parties “to search for political-diplomatic solutions within the framework of International Law and the Charter of the United Nations.”

Similarly, Peru  expressed its concern about the evolution of events and called for “all hostilities and violations of the ceasefire in Ukraine to cease.”