Ukraine's foreign minister says Russia launched 'war of aggression,' demands 'devastating' sanctions

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba.
(Image credit: AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster, Pool)

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba is calling on people around the world to speak out against Russia's "war of aggression," saying the "future of Europe and the world is at stake."

Early Thursday morning, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced his authorization of a "special military operation" in Ukraine, claiming Russia's intent was to carry out the "demilitarization and de-Nazification" of the country. Kuleba tweeted that in fact, Putin launched "a full-scale invasion of Ukraine," and it's a "war of aggression." He declared that Ukraine will "defend itself and win. The world can and must stop Putin. The time to act is now."

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up
Catherine Garcia, The Week US

Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.