Explosions were reported in the southern Ukrainian city of Mariupol in the early hours of Thursday, as the US Secretary of State said he believed a Russian invasion would take place tonight, and The united nations The Security Council shall hold an extraordinary meeting.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has called on Vladimir Putin to stop his tanks.
“If surgery is really being prepared, I have only one thing to say from the bottom of my heart,” Guterres said.
“President Putin, stop your troops from attacking Ukraine. Give peace a chance. Too many people have already died.
Linda Thomas-Greenfield, the US ambassador to the United Nations, said she spoke with President Joe Biden minutes earlier and he expressed strong support for the Ukrainian government.
“Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine is inevitable,” said Thomas Greenfield.
“Tonight we see Russia closing the airspace, moving troops to Donbass.
“We ask Russia to stop. Send your troops back to their barracks and your planes back to their ports. Send your diplomats.
Footage shared on social media shows residential complexes in Mariupol – 50 miles from the Russian border – booming with the sound of what some reports say was shelling.
In Nikolaev, 400 miles east of Mariupol, residents reported sounds of a fierce exchange of gunfire.
U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said Wednesday night that he expects Putin to invade overnight.
Ukrainian authorities announced widespread cyberattacks against state institutions on Wednesday night.
Linda Thomas-Greenfield, US ambassador to the United Nations, was seen addressing the Security Council on Wednesday night
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urges Vladimir Putin to “give peace a chance”
@POTUS keeps a close eye on events in Ukraine and will continue to receive regular updates from Jake Sullivan, his national security adviser. He also spoke with his UN ambassador, Linda Thomas Greenfield, ahead of tonight’s UN Security Council meeting.
– Jen Psaki (@PressSec) February 24, 2022
The UN Security Council is holding an extraordinary meeting Wednesday night
Putin is thought to be planning a full-scale invasion of Ukraine after recognizing two areas in the east of the country as independent earlier this week. The rebels already hold part of this territory (in dark red), but Putin has recognized a much wider region (shadow red) amid fears that he will now try to seize it.
US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken was asked on Wednesday night if he expected Putin to launch a full-scale invasion of Ukraine overnight, and said yes.
Blinken was asked by Leicester Holt on NBC News if he thought there would be a full-scale invasion from Russia “before tonight is over.”
Blinken replied, “Yes. Unfortunately, Russia is positioning its forces in the end point of readiness beyond Ukraine’s borders – north, east, south.
“Everything seems to be fine so that Russia can launch a major aggression against Ukraine.”
Blinken added: “I can’t set a date or an exact time, but everything is in place so that Russia can move forward.”
Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky addressed the nation on Wednesday night, saying he had tried to contact Vladimir Putin to discuss the situation, but Putin refused to accept his call.
“I initiated a telephone conversation with the President of the Russian Federation. The result: silence, “Zelenski said.
Zelensky said he wanted to address the Russian people – acknowledging that he knew the speech would not be shown in the country – but warned that the “spark” for the invasion could come at any time.
“You have been told that this flame will liberate the people of Ukraine, but the Ukrainian people are free.
“You were told we were Nazis, but how can a nation support Nazis who gave more than eight million lives to defeat Nazism?”
Zelensky also rejected Moscow’s claim that Ukraine was a threat to Russia.
“The people of Ukraine and the government of Ukraine want peace,” Zelensky said, adding that a Russian invasion would cost tens of thousands of lives.
Zelensky added that there are now 200,000 Russian troops stationed near Ukraine’s borders.
Zelensky said Russia’s people had lied about Ukraine and called on them to help stop a possible war.
“Who can stop (the war)? people. These people are among you, I’m sure, “he said.