Biden Announced US Sanctions Against Moscow After Boris Johnson Unveiled Measures Against Russia

According to report, the French and Russian presidents have spoken in a phone call on Thursday evening, following a Russian invasion of Ukraine.

The Kremlin said Vladimir Putin spoke to Emmanuel Macron via telephone, giving him an “exhaustive” explanation of the reasons behind the military operation.

Macron said he demanded that Putin immediately cease the offensive which has seen 57 people killed on the first day, according to Ukraine.

The phone call from Macron to Putin followed a telephone conversation with Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Joe Biden has announced US economic sanctions against Moscow after Boris Johnson unveiled the largest ever package of measures against Russia after Vladimir Putin launched an attack on Ukraine on Thursday.

The US president outlined stronger sanctions to “maximise a long-term impact on Russia and to minimise the impact on the United States and its allies”.

The sanctions will affect Russia’s ability to finance and grow its military, as well as hamper its ability to “compete in the high-tech 21st Century economy”, he said.

UK sanctions imposed mean all major Russian banks will face an immediate asset freeze and more than 100 businesses and wealthy individuals, including Russia’s youngest billionaire Kirill Shamalov and Manchester United sponsor Aeroflot, will face sanctions.

Boris Johnson called Putin a “bloodstained aggressor, who believes in imperial conquest” while announcing the sanctions in the Commons.

Russian troops have attacked Ukraine from the north, east and south and are advancing towards the capital Kiev.

Fighting has also broken out in the Chernobyl nuclear exclusion zone after Russian troops stormed the area.

Mr Putin announced the military operation on TV at 5.55am Moscow time and minutes later the first shelling and missiles were launched into Ukraine, according to reports.

Ukraine’s foreign minister has accused Russia of starting a full-scale war and urged the UN “to do everything possible” to stop it.

Ukrainian forces have battled Russian troops on three sides on Thursday after Putin an assault by land, sea and air.

Russian forces are reported to have captured the Chernobyl former nuclear power plant.

Ukraine’s Health Minister Oleh Lyashko said 57 people had been killed and 169 wounded on the first day of the invasion.

Vladimir Putin said his aim was to demilitarise and “de-nazify” Ukraine.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said a new Iron Curtain was falling and closing Russia off from the civilized world. “Our national task is to make sure this curtain does not fall across our land.”

US President Joe Biden unveiled new sanctions on Russia’s banks and wealthy elite and sweeping export restrictions.

Boris Johnson unveiled a package of “severe” sanctions against Russia targeting banks, members of Putin’s closest circle and oligarchs.

Head of Mi6: Russia attack was ‘long planned'

The head of MI6 has said Russia’s attack on Ukraine was a “long planned, unprovoked, cruel aggression”.

Richard Moore, known in Whitehall as C, tweeted that “US and UK intelligence communities uncovered Putin’s plans for Ukraine”.

He said: “We exposed his attempts to engineer ‘false flag’, fake attacks to justify his invasion. We revealed his plans to assassinate Ukrainian leaders and senior officials.

“This attack was long planned, unprovoked, cruel aggression.

“No amount of Russian disinformation will now disguise that fact from the international community.”

UN Refugee Agency says approximately 100,000 Ukrainians have fled

Approximately 100,000 Ukrainians have fled their homes, the UN Refugee Agency has said.

Thousands of people are crossing into neighbouring countries such as Romania, Moldova, Poland and Hungary.

The World Health Organisation has said it has released $3.5 million from its contingency fund for emergencies in order to purchase and deliver urgent medical supplies for Ukraine.

Russia has launched more than 160 missiles on first day of invasion, a US defence official has told Reuters news agency.

They also said Russian forces were advancing further forwards towards the capital, Kyiv.

The Ukrainian military has said the Russian “plan is clear”.

They said its main purpose is to block Kyiv, create a land corridor to the Crimean peninsula and breakaway region to Moldova.  Meanwhile, a senior US official has said Russia has continued to flow troops into Ukraine.

A senior defence official said the US could not confirm reports that Russian troops had taken control of Chernobyl, the nuclear power plant.

The Ministry of Defence has tweeted a map showing sites of Russian attack and troop locations.

They said: “In the early hours of the morning, President Putin launched a major unprovoked assault on Ukraine, firing missiles on cities and military targets.

“The invasion came despite weeks of Russian claims that they had no intention of invading.”