Members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization are coming together to support Ukraine following an attack by Russia after weeks of increased tension as troops massed along the country’s borders.
According to a Feb. 25 statement by Jens Stoltenberg, secretary general of NATO, member countries have deployed defensive land and air forces in the eastern part of the Alliance and maritime assets across the NATO area in response to the "brutal and wholly unprovoked and unjustified" attack.
“We have activated NATO’s defense plans to prepare ourselves to respond to a range of contingencies and secure Alliance territory, including by drawing on our response forces,” Stoltenberg said in the statement. “We are now making significant additional defensive deployments of forces to the eastern part of the Alliance.”
On Feb. 25, the Guardian, citing a report from Reuters, noted it was increasingly likely Russia may be axed from the SWIFT global bank payments system, which would strike a blow to Russian trade, making it tougher for Russian companies to operate. According to the report, Italy and Germany had been hedging on making the move, but agreed to consider the option.
Fighting was heating up Feb. 25, with the Guardian citing a report by a Washington Post correspondent that “dozens of explosions” could be heard in the area around Kyiv.
The Guardian, citing several sources, including CNN and the BBC, noted fighting also continued to escalate in other parts of Ukraine, including Obolon and Kherson. Citing Interfax Ukraine News Agency, the Guardian noted Russian troops reportedly tried to target a power plant, while Reuters reported the military said it thwarted a Russian barrage on a Kyiv army base.
On the international stage, Russia is allegedly falling out of favor, the Guardian reported, with Japan reportedly saying it would coordinate with other G7 nations on sanctions. The Guardian also noted Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida called Moscow’s invasion an “unacceptable violation of Ukrainian sovereignty and international law."
The publication also noted Belarus was being hit with sanctions for standing with Russia.
