Ukraine-Russia crisis live news: UK decides on sanctions as Putin orders troops over border

One of the standout submissions to the United Nation’s emergency security council meeting earlier was delivered by Kenyan representative Martin Kimani.

Video of Kimani’s emphatic plea to Russia to pursue diplomacy and not conflict can be viewed below.

This situation echoes our history. Kenya and almost every African country was birthed by the ending of empire. Our borders were not of our own drawing.

Today across the border of every single African country live our countrymen with whom we share deep bonds.

The UK is also set to announce new sanctions on Russia today after foreign secretary Liz Truss said Putin’s actions could not be allowed to go “unpunished”.

The sanctions will be in response to Russia’s “breach of international law and attack on Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity,” she said.

The foreign secretary added that she had spoken to Josep Borrell, the EU’s high representative for foreign affairs, following “Russia’s latest assault on Ukrainian sovereignty”.

We agreed (the UK) and (the EU) will coordinate to deliver swift sanctions against Putin’s regime and stand shoulder-to-shoulder with Ukraine.

Downing Street also said Johnson told Ukraine’s President Zelenskiy that he would “explore sending further defensive support to Ukraine” at the request of the country’s government.

A spokesperson told PA Media:

He told President Zelenskiy that the UK had already drawn up sanctions to target those complicit in the violation of Ukraine’s territorial integrity, and that those measures would come into force tomorrow.

The Prime Minister also said he would explore sending further defensive support to Ukraine, at the request of the Ukrainian government.

Meanwhile, Downing Street said Johnson outlined his “grave concern at recent developments in the region” in a call with the Ukrainian president on Monday evening, PA Media reports.

The prime minister strongly condemned the Kremlin’s decision today to recognise Luhansk and Donetsk as independent states, and said the move made the Minsk agreements and process unworkable.

Johnson added that the UK was already engaging with partners on the issue and said the UK would raise it at the United Nations Security Council and Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe in the coming days.

British prime minister Boris Johnson is moments away from chairing a Cobra meeting this morning to “coordinate the UK response”, including agreeing to a “significant package of sanctions to be introduced immediately”, PA media reports citing to a Downing Street spokesperson.

Johnson earlier told Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy that he believes a Russian invasion is “a real possibility in the coming hours and days”, No 10 said.

A No 10 spokesperson said on Monday evening: “The Prime Minister will chair a COBR at 0630 tomorrow morning to discuss the latest developments in Ukraine and to coordinate the UK response including agreeing a significant package of sanctions to be introduced immediately.”

It comes after foreign secretary Liz Truss said the UK will announce new sanctions against Russia on Tuesday “in response to their breach of international law and attack on Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity”.

Ukraine’s ministry of foreign affairs has just issued an official statement condemning Russia’s decision to recognise the Luhansk and Donetsk regions as independent states.

The ministry says the decision has “no legal implications” and “sharply escalates the situation”.

The statement released on Tuesday morning reads:

The Ukrainian side understands Russia’s intentions and its objective to provoke Ukraine. We are taking into account all the risks and not giving in to the provocations as we remain committed to politico-diplomatic settlement of the Russian-Ukrainian armed conflict.”

Ukraine’s defence minister says his country is “ready and able” to defend itself from Russia and says the world cannot be silent.

“Sanctions? Another brick in the wall? New Berlin Wall?” Oleksii Reznikov tweeted Tuesday morning local time.

We’ve now got video of the US ambassador to the United Nations, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, calling Putin’s claims “nonsense”.

For those just joining our live coverage now, here is a summary of what was exchanged during the United Nations emergency security council meeting which wrapped up just hours ago.

It was an extraordinary war of words as representatives from the United States, the UK, France, Germany, India, Ireland, the UAE, Kenya and Ghana all emphatically urged peace and diplomacy in a bid to avert war in Ukraine.

Addressing the session, US ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield cast doubt on Putin’s assertion that the Russian troops would take on a “peacekeeping” role in the Donetsk and Lugansk areas.

He calls them peacekeepers. This is nonsense. We know what they really are.

Referring to Putin’s recent allegations, the ambassador said his words amounted to a “series of outrageous, false claims” that were aimed at “creating a pretext for war.”

Putin wants to travel back to a time when empires ruled the world. This is not 1919,” she added.

The UK’s permanent representative to the UN, Dame Barbara Woodward, highlighted the humanitarian impact of a possible invasion.

The actions Russia has chosen today will have severe and far-reaching consequences. First, to human life. An invasion of Ukraine unleashes the forces of war, death and destruction on the people of Ukraine,” she said.

In seeking to redraw borders by force, Russia’s actions show blatant contempt for international law.”

After about an hour we finally heard from Russia ,with Vasily Nebenzya calling the prior statements a “direct verbal assault” and saying they would go “unanswered”.

Nebenzya also attacked the west for “nudging” Ukraine towards conflict and accused other nations of overlooking the plight of those in the Donbas.

Most of you did not find any place for the nearly four million residents of Donbas … Our western colleagues have been unashamedly cramming weapons into Ukraine.”

Russia then alleged Ukraine was on the brink of “military adventure”.

Allowing a new bloodbath in the Donbas is something we do not intend to do.”

Finally, Ukraine’s ambassador Sergiy Kyslytsya took the stand, insisting that his country’s borders remain “unchangeable” despite Russia’s actions.

We are on our own land. We are not afraid of anything or anyone, we owe nothing to anyone and we will not give away anything to anyone. There should be no doubt whatsoever.

The international borders of Ukraine are and will remain unchangeable.

We demand from Russia to cancel the decision on recognition and return to the table of negotiations.

We condemn the order to deploy additional Russian occupation troops to the territories in Ukraine.

We demand immediate and complete verifiable withdrawal of the occupation troops.

The United Nations is sick. That’s a matter of fact. It has been hit by the virus spread by the Kremlin. Will it succumb to this virus?”

US ambassador to the United Nations, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, has dismissed Vladimir’s Putin’s assertion that the Russian troops heading into the separatist regions of Ukraine would take on a “peacekeeping” role.

At a fiery emergency meeting of the security council in New York she said: “He calls them peacekeepers. This is nonsense. We know what they really are.”

Putin’s allegations about Ukrainian aggression in a speech on Monday amounted to a “series of outrageous, false claims” that were aimed at “creating a pretext for war.”

Putin wants to travel back to a time when empires ruled the world. This is not 1919.

Speaking after the meeting she said the US would announce new sanctions against Russia on Tuesday.

The Australian government has also announced it has moved all diplomatic officials out of Ukraine to eastern Poland and Romania.

Foreign minister Marise Payne confirmed the move “due to the increased risk” amid rising concerns of conflict.

“Australia stands in solidarity with Ukraine and continues to call on Russia to cease and reverse its unprovoked assault on its democratic neighbour,” Payne said.

News of Russia’s recognition of the breakaway territories of Donetsk and Luhansk as independent is filtering through the streets of Kyiv.

Maria Levchyshchyna, a 48-year-old painter in the Ukrainian capital, told Associated Press:

Why should Russia recognise (the rebel-held regions)? If neighbours come to you and say, This room will be ours,’ would you care about their opinion or not? It’s your flat, and it will be always your flat.

Let them recognise whatever they want. But in my view, it can also provoke a war, because normal people will fight for their country.”

Artem Ivaschenko, a 22-year-old cook originally from Donetsk, told AFP the recognition was the “scariest news” he had heard since he fled the region to Kyiv eight years ago. He said:

I am very shocked…I live here, I already lost a part of my homeland, it was taken away, so I will protect it.”

US secretary of state Antony Blinken has reiterated the United States’ “unwavering support” for Ukraine in a statement after he spoke to Ukraine foreign ministyer Dmytro Kuleba by phone on Monday.

A spokesperson for the US secretary of state said:

The secretary noted our swift response to Russia’s decision to recognize the purported ‘independence’ of the so-called republics controlled by Russian proxy authorities in eastern Ukraine. They discussed the strong measures we announced today in response and reiterated that additional steps would be forthcoming.

The pair are due to meet in Washington on Tuesday.

Russia’s representative to the United Nations has reiterated its combative stance, saying Ukraine “is on the verge of a new military adventure” in a tweet on Tuesday morning local time.

“We cannot allow this,” the representative added.

Ukraine’s president used a televised address in the early hours of Tuesday to accuse Russia of wrecking peace talks and has ruled out making any territorial concessions.

Zelenskiy added Ukraine was committed to peace and diplomacy after Russia formally recognised two Russian-backed separatist regions as independent on Monday evening.

Zelenskiy said “we are not afraid” after Russia officially recognised two breakaway regions of eastern Ukraine as independent.

The president said Ukraine was expecting “clear and effective” steps from its allies to act against Russia and called for an emergency summit of the leaders of Ukraine, Russia, Germany and France.

Welcome to our rolling updates of developments in the Ukraine-Russia crisis. I’m Samantha Lock and I’ll be bringing you all the latest updates in what promises to be another very busy day ahead.

Here are the main developments so far:

• The United States and allies such as the UK and France will announce new sanctions against Russia on Tuesday, the US ambassador to the UN has said. it was not clear what the extent of the sanctions would be. Earlier on Monday Joe Biden banned trade between the US and breakaway regions in eastern Ukraine.
• The move follows Russia’s decision to recognise the breakaway regions of Ukraine, Luhansk and Donetsk, as independent states and send “peacekeeping” troops into the areas. Russian president Vladimir Putin said Ukraine has nuclear weapons and is being heavily influenced by the west.
• A fiery emergency meeting of the UN security council on Monday night in New York saw western governments line up to condemn Russia for “escalating” the crisis. US envoy Linda Thomas-Greenfield described Putin’s claim that the troops were “peacekeepers” as “nonsense”. Britain’s representative said Russia’s actions showed “blatant contempt to international law”.
• Russia’s representative responded by accusing Ukraine of being “on the verge of a new military adventure”.
• Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelenskiy used a televised address in the early hours of Tuesday to accuse Russia of wrecking peace talks and has ruled out making any territorial concessions. He said Ukraine was “not afraid of anything or anyone”.
• British prime minister Boris Johnson is set to chair a meeting of the UK’s emergency committee Cobra on Tuesday morning to discuss the latest developments in Ukraine.
• Russia has acquired the right to build military bases in Ukraine’s two breakaway regions under treaties signed by Putin with their separatist leaders, Reuters is reporting.
• The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe said Russia’s move was a breach of international law and fundamental OSCE principles and runs counter to the Minsk agreements.
• All US state department personnel are now out of Ukraine, having relocated to a hotel in Poland, US secretary of state Antony Blinken has announced.