The United Kingdom will provide an additional $53 million (£40 million) in humanitarian aid to Ukraine amid the Russian invasion of the country, according to the UK Prime Minister’s office.
The additional aid was granted following Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s discussion with his Ukrainian counterpart, President Volodymyr Zelensky, and meetings with Ukrainian community leaders in London over the weekend.
The funding will help “aid agencies respond to the deteriorating humanitarian situation, creating a lifeline for Ukrainians with access to basic necessities and medical supplies such as medicines, syringes, dressings and wound care packs,” according to the news release.
During their conversation on Saturday evening, Zelensky informed Johnson of “the critical need for humanitarian assistance as people are forced to flee their homes and seek safety,” the news release said.
As concerns mount amongst Ukrainians living in the UK, Johnson said Sunday “any person settled in the UK will be able to bring their Ukrainian immediate family members to join them here.”
Johnson stressed in the statement the UK “will not turn our backs in Ukraine’s hour of need,” adding this latest package “brings the total amount of UK Government aid pledged to Ukraine this year to £140 million,” which equals $186 million.
UK Foreign Secretary Liz Truss added the funding would help Ukraine “tackle what is becoming a humanitarian crisis.”
The White House, along with several EU nations, announced on Saturday the expulsion of certain Russian banks from SWIFT, the high-security network connecting thousands of financial institutions around the world.
But what exactly is SWIFT and how will it impact Russia?
SWIFT stands for the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication. It was founded in 1973 to replace the telex and is now used by over 11,000 financial institutions to send secure messages and payment orders. With no globally accepted alternative, it is essential plumbing for global finance.
Removing Russia from SWIFT would make it nearly impossible for financial institutions to send money in or out of the country, delivering a sudden shock to Russian companies and their foreign customers — especially buyers of oil and gas exports denominated in US dollars.
SWIFT is based in Belgium and governed by a board consisting of 25 people. SWIFT, which describes itself as a “neutral utility,” is incorporated under Belgian law and must comply with EU regulations.
What happens if Russia is removed?
There is precedent for removing a country from SWIFT.
SWIFT unplugged Iranian banks in 2012 after they were sanctioned by the EU over the country’s nuclear program. Iran lost almost half of its oil export revenue and 30% of foreign trade following the disconnection, according to experts.
The United States and Germany have the most to lose if Russia is disconnected, because their banks are the most frequent SWIFT users in communicating with Russian banks, according to Maria Shagina, a visiting fellow at the Finnish Institute of International Affairs.
Senior Russian lawmakers have responded by saying that shipments of oil, gas and metals to Europe would stop if Russia is expelled.
Has SWIFT commented?
In a statement, SWIFT said it is a “neutral global cooperative” and “any decision to impose sanctions on countries or individual entities rests solely with the competent government bodies and applicable legislators.”
“We are aware of the joint statement by the leaders of the European Commission, France, Germany, Italy, the United Kingdom, Canada, and the United States in which they state they will implement new measures in the coming days with respect to Russian banks. We are engaging with European authorities to understand the details of the entities that will be subject to the new measures and we are preparing to comply upon legal instruction,” the statement said.
People gather for a demonstration against Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on February 27 in Prague, Czech Republic. (Ondrej Deml /CTK/AP)
Tens of thousands of people attended a pro-Ukrainian rally in Prague on Sunday, filling the Czech capital’s famous Wenceslas Square to the brink.
While protests, vigils and prayer meetings in support of Ukraine are being held across the globe, the event in Prague was particularly poignant given that many of its attendees experienced a Russian invasion first hand.
More background: On Aug. 21, 1968, Soviet-led armies of the Warsaw Pact invaded Czechoslovakia, crushing the so-called Prague Spring democratic reform movement and restoring the totalitarian communist regime.
Overnight, an estimated 500,000 troops from the Soviet Union, Poland, Hungary, East Germany and Bulgaria flooded the country.
At least 137 people were killed during the invasion. Tens of thousands fled the country during the weeks and months after the invasion. Soviet troops stayed in Czechoslovakia for over two decades, with the last leaving in June 1991, a year and half after the Velvet Revolution toppled the Communist regime.
Protestors take part in a demonstration against Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, on February 27 in Prague, Czech Republic. (Michal Cizek/AFP/Getty Images)
Families are enjoying the sun on the bank of the Dnieper river in Kyiv on Sunday, February 20. (Ivana Kottasova/CNN)
Last Sunday, Kyiv was a buzzing European city with hip cafes, artwork at every corner and fresh sushi available on demand at midnight. Now, it’s a war zone.
Sirens blasting through the city, the the unmistakable loud bangs of explosions and strikes. The transformation inflicted on the city by the Russian invasion of Ukraine has been surreal.
Just a week ago, Dniprovsʹkyy Park was full of runners and cyclists taking advantage of the sunny weather to get their Sunday workout done.
Cyclists pass the National Museum of History of Ukraine in the Second World War on Sunday, Ferbruary 20. (Ivana Kottasova/CNN)
The traffic-free park sits on an island across the river from the old town, its banks lined by sandy city beaches where kids are normally running around, watching the ducks swim by.
In the historical Mariinskyi Park families were strolling around, with kids enjoying the park’s playground that features large boat-shaped monkey bars.
Now, the same city is reeling from a steady stream of news of yet another terrifying incident. A six-year-old boy killed in heavy gunfire. A high-rise apartment building being hit. The dam of Kyiv reservoir destroyed. The streets are deserted, the sense of dread hanging in the air.
Many have fled the city, encouraged by the authorities to go while there still was a chance. The state railway company has been dispatching extra trains heading to the west for days now, Kyiv’s main train station full of families hoping to get onto the next one.
The same people who were happily shopping in fashion stores lining Kyiv’s boulevards, dining at trendy restaurants are now hunkered down in basements, underground parking lots and subway stations.
Instead of hanging out with friends, enjoying the sunshine, they are now sleeping on the floors, trying to calm their children that don’t understand why they can’t go to kindergarten.
Despite the shock and suffering brought in recent days, Kyiv’s residents are showing incredible resolve and defiance.
Within hours after the invasion started, more than 18,000 have responded a call to defend the city, collecting their firearms from authorities, according to Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov.
In the hotel where many western journalists are staying in the city center, the staff, who are now staying there instead of being at home with their families, are alternating between distributing blankets and water bottles in the bomb shelter and serving four different types of egg dishes at the buffet breakfast.
A vast explosion lits up the Kyiv night sky on Sunday, February 27. (Sean Walker/CNN)
And Kyiv’s roads once clogged with heavy traffic are now empty. The electronic signs that were displaying traffic updates just last week are now showing a very different message: “Glory to Ukraine!”
A traffic sign seen on a deserted street in central Kyiv says “Glory to Ukraine” on Saturday, February 26. (Ivana Kottasova/CNN)
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz speaks during a special session of the Bundestag on the war in Ukraine, on February 27. (Kay Nietfeld/picture alliance/Getty Images)
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz vowed Sunday that “very soon the Russian leadership will feel what a high price they will have to pay” for the invasion of Ukraine, as he announced he will raise German military funding in a special session with lawmakers.
Russian President Vladimir Putin “will not change his path overnight,” Scholz conceded.
“Yesterday we decided that Germany will deliver weapons to Ukraine to defend themselves. Putin’s aggression meant we cannot give any other response,” he added.
Scholz also revealed he would raise the proportion of Germany’s economic output spent on defence to 2%, and allocate 100 billion euros ($112 billion) to its armed foces, in order to modernize and better equip the country’s army — a significant expansion of German defense spending.
Scholz also mentioned the sanctions package against Russia, which he said was unprecedented.
The Russian attack on Ukraine is “despicable — it breaches international law, it cannot be justified,” Scholz said.
“February 24, 2022, marks a watershed in history of our continent,” he added in the special session of parliament. “The horrid pictures we see from Kyiv, in Mariupol, show how unscrupulous [Russian President Vladimir] Putin is. This is so unfair, the pain of the Ukrainians, it gets really close to our hearts.”
Scholz mentioned the EU’s decision to remove Russian banks from the SWIFT international payments system and said that “Russian banks and companies will be cut off from financing. We will focus on oligarchs in the EU. We have punitive measures against Putin and people around him.”
“We need to support Ukraine in this desperate situation and we have done so during the last weeks and months, the attack on Ukraine means we are in a new time. As democrats, as Europeans, we are on your side, the right side of history,” Scholz said.
Germany locks Russia out of its airspace: Germany also will close its airspace to Russian aircraft from 3pm local time (9aET) on Sunday, according to a statement from the Federal Ministry for Digital and Transport.
The Ministry added that humanitarian aid flights were exempt from the ban, which will run initially for three months.
It sees Germany join a growing band of nations in Europe closing its airspace to Russian planes.
The White House, along with several EU nations, announced on Saturday the expulsion of certain Russian banks from SWIFT, the high-security network connecting thousands of financial institutions around the world.
But what exactly is SWIFT and how will it impact Russia?
SWIFT stands for the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication. It was founded in 1973 to replace the telex and is now used by over 11,000 financial institutions to send secure messages and payment orders. With no globally accepted alternative, it is essential plumbing for global finance.
Removing Russia from SWIFT would make it nearly impossible for financial institutions to send money in or out of the country, delivering a sudden shock to Russian companies and their foreign customers — especially buyers of oil and gas exports denominated in US dollars.
SWIFT is based in Belgium and governed by a board consisting of 25 people. SWIFT, which describes itself as a “neutral utility,” is incorporated under Belgian law and must comply with EU regulations.
What happens if Russia is removed?
There is precedent for removing a country from SWIFT.
SWIFT unplugged Iranian banks in 2012 after they were sanctioned by the EU over the country’s nuclear program. Iran lost almost half of its oil export revenue and 30% of foreign trade following the disconnection, according to experts.
The United States and Germany have the most to lose if Russia is disconnected, because their banks are the most frequent SWIFT users in communicating with Russian banks, according to Maria Shagina, a visiting fellow at the Finnish Institute of International Affairs.
Senior Russian lawmakers have responded by saying that shipments of oil, gas and metals to Europe would stop if Russia is expelled.
Has SWIFT commented?
In a statement, SWIFT said it is a “neutral global cooperative” and “any decision to impose sanctions on countries or individual entities rests solely with the competent government bodies and applicable legislators.”
“We are aware of the joint statement by the leaders of the European Commission, France, Germany, Italy, the United Kingdom, Canada, and the United States in which they state they will implement new measures in the coming days with respect to Russian banks. We are engaging with European authorities to understand the details of the entities that will be subject to the new measures and we are preparing to comply upon legal instruction,” the statement said.
Ukrainian lawmaker Lesia Vasylenko was urging the international community to give assistance on Friday when she was interrupted by the sound of jets flying overhead.
“If this continues at the level it is happening now, these air strikes happening, the tanks rolling in, Ukraine will not be able to stand for long against such a massive Russian aggression, and we need assistance,” she told CNN from Kyiv. She added that more sanctions are needed, as well as more weapons in Ukraine and the closure of the country’s airspace.
She paused for a while, glancing out of her window off camera. “I’m sorry … as we speak, there were several planes flying in the direction of the city. And we know from the President’s address just several minutes ago that air strikes are to begin right about now,” she said, with a rumbling noise in the background.
“We are all exhausted from this, because we have helicopters, we have airplanes, fighter jets, flying all around all the time. And every time we hear a noise, it’s like looking out of the window, where is it going? Is it going to hit or is it going to miss?”
She added that despite the fear, she also felt faith “in the Ukrainian army and in the Ukrainian people.”
“People here are brave and are not up to giving up their country,” she said. “We do not want to live under somebody’s rule, whoever it is. We are a free people. We have fought for our freedom. Our men and women have died for this freedom.”
The Brazilian Foreign Relations Ministry released a short statement Thursday, calling for the “immediate suspension of hostilities and the beginning of negotiations” after the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
“Brazil calls for the immediate suspension of hostilities and the start of negotiations leading to a diplomatic solution to the issue, based on the Minsk Accords and that takes into account the legitimate security interests of all parties involved and the protection of the civilian population,” the Brazilian diplomacy statement said.
Notably, the statement doesn’t call Russian moves on Ukrainian territory an “invasion.”
President Jair Bolsonaro, who met Russia’s President Vladimir Putin last week and expressed “solidarity” to Russia, has not made a public statement today.
Brazilian government’s position on Russia and Ukraine doesn’t seem unanimous. Talking to the press on Thursday morning, Brazil’s Vice President Hamilton Mourão condemned the Russian invasion of Ukraine and asked for actions beyond economic sanctions on Putin’s government.
“The Western world is the same (place) as it was in 1938 with Hitler, on the basis of appeasement, and Putin did not respect the appeasement. That’s the truth,” Mourão said. “In my view, mere economic sanctions — which is an intermediate form of sanction — do not work.”
He also said significant action is needed by allies to provide the Ukrainians military support.
“The use of force is needed, a support for Ukraine, more than what is being put on. That’s my view. If the Western world just let Ukraine falls, Bulgaria will be next, then the Baltic States, and so on. Just as Hitler’s Germany did in the 1930s,” he said.
Mourão says Brazil supports Ukraine.
“Brazil is not neutral. Brazil has made it very clear that it respects Ukraine’s sovereignty. So Brazil does not agree with an invasion of Ukrainian territory.”
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying attends a news conference in Beijing, China, on February 24. (Carlos Garcia Rawlins/Reuters)
China has refused to condemn Russia’s attack on Ukraine Thursday, instead repeating calls for parties to “exercise restraint” and accusing the United States of “fueling fire” in the tensions.
In a Ministry of Foreign Affairs briefing that went on for more than 90 minutes, spokesperson and Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs Hua Chunying dodged more than 11 questions regarding Russia’s actions in Ukraine. They included repeated inquiries on whether Beijing would consider Russia’s acts an invasion and whether they violated Ukraine’s territorial integrity.
Hua added that China would begin importing Russian wheat, a move that could ease the impact of Western sanctions on Russia.
“The Ukraine issue has a very complicated historical background. It has evolved to the present situation due to the joint action of various factors … security should be a matter of joint cooperation and sustainable security, and the legitimate security concerns of all parties should be respected and addressed,” Hua said sticking closely to comments made the previous day.
China is “closely following the latest situation” and calls on parties to “exercise restraint to avoid the situation getting out of control,” Hua said repeatedly.
After questions from multiple media on whether China considered Russia’s moves an invasion, Hua asked reporters, “Why are you obsessed with this question?
“You can ask the US side. They keep fueling fires … You can ask them if they have any plans to put out the fire.”
On Thursday, China’s customs administration also said they would begin allowing wheat imports as of February 24 from Russia. The two countries had announced an agreement earlier this month for China to import Russian wheat during Putin’s visit to Beijing to meet with President Xi and attend the opening of the Beijing Winter Olympics.
The China-Russia friendship: Beijing is navigating a complex position as it attempts to balance deepening ties with Moscow with its practiced foreign policy of staunchly defending state sovereignty.
Though not military allies, China and Russia have been presenting an increasingly united front in the face of what they view as Western interference into their respective affairs and regions.
