The 27-nation bloc of the European Union will shut its airspace to Russian airlines, fund supplies of weapons to war-hit Ukraine and ban some pro-Moscow media outlets in response to the Kremlin’s move to invade its neighbour.
The EU’s move came amid the United States and several European nations’ decision to cut key Russian banks from the SWIFT international financial banking system. Hours ago, Russian President Vladimir Putin placed the country’s nuclear deterrent forces on a “special” alert in the face of the West “aggression”.
Ukraine has agreed to hold talks with Russia “without preconditions” along the Belarusian border after Moscow earlier demanded Kyiv’s military lay down their arms before negotiations could begin. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Sunday that “for the first time ever, the European Union will finance the purchase and delivery of weapons and other equipment to a country that is under attack”.
