Abandoned by key allies and criticized around the world, the Russian president Vladimir Putin is on the verge of becoming an exile on the world stage.
Putin ordered invasion of Ukraine on Thursday, leading to protests and calls for condemnation around the world.
Putin’s desire for a quick victory, probably similar to Russia’s one-month annexation of Crimea in 2014, was shattered after Ukrainians retaliated against the invaders.
Moscow was abandoned by a long-term ally China when he abstained from voting on a UN Security Council resolution condemning Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine, which Western countries saw as a victory against Putin.
It is also reported that several Chinese public banks are restricting funding for the purchase of raw materials from Russia for fear of Western sanctions if they appear to support the Kremlin.
Other allies, such as Hungary and Turkey, have become angry with Putin.
Abandoned by key allies and criticized around the world, Russian President Vladimir Putin is on the verge of becoming an exile on the world stage.
Russia invaded Ukraine last Thursday, but faced strong resistance as the country struggled. Pictured: Explosion in the capital Kiev early on Thursday
Longtime Russian allies such as Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban (left) and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (right) resent Putin.
Russian military car seen set on fire in Kharkiv on Sunday morning after troops entered an eastern Ukrainian city
Burning Russian military equipment on the streets of Kharkov minutes after the Russian army entered the city
In the photo, Russian forces enter Ukraine’s second largest city, Kharkiv, on Sunday morning. Clashes reportedly broke out. It is alleged that Russian vehicles were marked with a white Z to distinguish themselves from Ukrainian fighters
Ukrainian troops gather around a fire during a short break while defending their capital Kiev from Russian forces
Members of Russia’s Special Forces – SOF – in Bucha outside Kiev as invaders continue to besiege Ukraine’s capital
A column of Russian military vehicles is seen near the village of Oktyabrsky, Belgorod region, near the Russian-Ukrainian border, on February 26, 2022.
Turkey is expected to stop Russian ships from entering the Black Sea, and Hungarian leader Viktor Orban has agreed to all EU sanctions against Russia.
Even Germany, which has so long been reluctant to send weapons to conflict zones, has acknowledged that Putin’s invasion is a “turning point.”
The European power said last night that it would provide 500 Stinger missiles and 1,000 anti-tank systems to Ukraine.
Today, as the fighting continues, the Kremlin announced that a Russian delegation has arrived in the Belarusian city of Gomel for talks with Ukrainian officials. However, while Zelensky said that although he said Ukraine was ready for peace talks, he said they would not take place in Belarus – which was a base for Russian troops before the invasion. In the photo: Ukrainian servicemen take refuge in battle positions at the Vasilkov military air base in the Kiev region
This is when Ukraine blew up a gas pipeline in the city of Kharkov, located east of Ukraine, near the Russian border
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said: “Russia’s attack on Ukraine is a turning point.
“This threatens our entire post-war order. It is our duty to support Ukraine in the best possible way in its defense against Vladimir Putin’s invasive army.
“Germany is closely on the side of Ukraine.”
His government also reportedly agreed with the United Kingdom, the United States and Canada that it was necessary to prevent Russia from using the Swift banking system, which more than 11,000 banks use to process payments.
The move comes after weeks of insistence from Kiev that it is the right step in an attempt to cripple Russia’s economy and end its violent invasion of Ukraine.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz (pictured) said: “Russia’s attack on Ukraine is a turning point. “This threatens our entire post-war order. It is our duty to support Ukraine in the best possible way in its defense against Vladimir Putin’s invasive army.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky (pictured) has refused to surrender amid an attack by Moscow, as well as an ultimatum from Russia demanding it
Defense Secretary Ben Wallace (pictured) said: “Our armed forces have been called back to the service of our nation and I welcome the courage and sense of duty shared by all our personnel who have been deployed in support of NATO.”
Although Britain and other countries had imposed a number of sanctions on Russia, many condemned them for not going far enough.
Stopping Russian banks from using Swift will put an end to deals worth millions, which will then have to be processed through more traditional systems such as fax, telephone and bank-to-bank transfers.
The only country that has ever been expelled from Swift is Iran, which has lost 30% of its foreign trade to it.
Russia was threatened with expulsion from Swift after annexing Crimea in 2014. Then-Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said the move would be interpreted as a “declaration of war”.
The former Russian finance minister said the country’s GDP would shrink by five percent in a year without Swift, which could leave the economy crippled.
Apart from being placed in a potential financial series, Putin has not been as successful on the battlefield as he had hoped.
Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky has refused to surrender amid an attack from Moscow, as well as an ultimatum from Russia demanding it.
Russia, which is 28 times the size of Ukraine, has faced serious opposition as it tries to seize power by force.
Both the United Kingdom and the United States have pledged additional military aid to Ukraine and surrounding NATO countries.
President Biden has agreed to send $ 350 million (£ 260 million) in military aid, increasing his total spending in the country to more than $ 1 billion in the last year alone.
Britain has sent tanks and armored vehicles Challenger 2 from the Royal Welsh Battle Group to Estonia, which borders Russia.
Approximately 1,000 troops will also arrive from Britain over the next few days to strengthen their defenses against any Russian invasion of NATO territory.
This happened when NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg promised to move more troops to countries along the eastern borders of Belarus and Russia.
Defense Secretary Ben Wallace said the goal was to stop invasions in NATO member states.
He said: “Our armed forces are once again called to serve our nation, and I welcome the courage and sense of duty shared by all our personnel who have been deployed in support of NATO.
“Together with our NATO allies, these deployments are a reliable deterrent to stopping Russian aggression that threatens the territorial sovereignty of member states.”
Even the sports world avoids Putin. Poland refused to play in the World Cup playoffs against Russia next month, and the Sochi Grand Prix in Formula One was canceled after the start of the war.
Vladimir Putin to billionaire and businessman Roman Abramovich in Sochi, Russia, July 19, 2016.
The Chelsea billionaire owner has faced a renewed focus on his business in recent days, but has always denied any wrongdoing or grounds for sanctioning
Everton players had Ukrainian flags slung over their shoulders as they lined up for the match
The Man City players had “No War” signs on the front and back of their shirts before the start
Alexander Zinchenko and Vitaly Mikolenko hugged before the start on Saturday
Zinchenko was clearly emotional before the start, applauding both sets of fans
In the Premier League, Everton players went to the field at Goodison Park for their match with Manchester City last night, wearing Ukrainian flags, while the shirts of the guests were written “No War”.
Ukrainian duo Alexander Zinchenko of Manchester City and Everton left-back Vitaly Mikolenko also hugged before the Goodison Park tribute, leaving the Manchester City man in tears before the start.
Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich is said to be close to Putin, and although this is something he denies, the Russian oligarch last night handed over power to trustees of the club’s charity foundation.
Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel even said he would be “happy” to lose today’s Carabao Cup final against Liverpool if it were to help Ukraine.