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This completes Thursday’s coverage of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
But that’s not the end of our rolling updates. I’ll be bringing you all the developments overnight on our Friday blog, which you can read here: Russia-Ukraine LIVE updates: Vladimir Putin declares war on Ukraine as explosions, missiles envelop Kyiv, Kharkiv; world condemns attack
Please do join me there.
The President of the EU Commission Ursula von der Leyen is speaking at NATO headquarters alongside the President of the European Council Charles Michel and NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg.
She said that the “massive sanctions” package to be announced later today will be imposed by Western partners, including Japan and Australia.
She said that these would deprive Russia’s access to global capital as well as technology.
“This will seriously degrade the Russian economy in all areas in the future,” she said.
“It is President Putin who will have to explain this to his citizens. I know that the Russian people do not want this war.”
The Russian city of St Petersburg is set to host the Champions League final in May.
The glittering event is scheduled for May 28 at Gazprom Arena, which is named after the Russian energy company that holds the world’s largest natural gas reserves. It’s also the company behind the Nord Stream 2 pipeline.
There was already pushback against St Petersburg hosting the final as a result of the earlier Russian build-up on Ukraine’s border.
But it’s obvious that Russia now cannot host one of the world’s most prestigious sporting events in light of Vladimir Putin’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine.
Governing body UEFA has called a snap meeting for Friday, where it says it will “take all necessary decisions.”
Bringing you these pictures of the situation on the ground in Ukraine as captured by Associated Press photojournalists.
Boris Johnson is addressing the British people in a televised address and appears to have left open the possibility of Western military support for Ukraine that goes further than the weapons and training provided to date.
He says that a “massive package” of sanctions will come and that they will in time “hobble” the Russian economy.
“Our mission is clear. Diplomatically, politically, economically and eventually militarily this hideous and barbaric venture of Vladimir Putin must end in failure,” he said.
The UK has sent defensive weaponry to Ukraine and has pledged further military support and “non-lethal aid.”
NATO Secretary-General, who is now speaking in Brussels, says the alliance has activated its defence plans, enabling it to deploy the NATO response force “to where they are needed.”
He says Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is a “brutal act of war” and that it has “shattered the peace in Europe.” He said NATO’s intelligence had been “precise” and that as a result, the invasion came as no surprise.
“What we see now is a full-fledged invasion of Ukraine from many, multiple directions, we see air, land and naval forces taking part in those attacks,” he said, adding that it was too early for a full damage assessment.
“This is a deliberate, cold-blooded and long-planned invasion,” Stoltenberg said.
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky says weapons are already being distributed to citizens willing to fight and has called for Ukrainians to give blood for injured fighters.
“The future of our Ukrainian people depends on every citizen,” he said during a briefing at the Office of the Head of State, according to a statement by Ukraine’s Ministry of Defence.
“Everyone who has combat experience and can join the defence of Ukraine must come to the appropriate centres.
“The Ministry of Internal Affairs will involve veterans in the defence of the state.”
Hello, it’s Latika Bourke in London taking over our live coverage of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the reaction from world leaders.
I’m (virtually) attending a news conference with NATO’s Jens Stoltenberg and will bring you his remarks.
You can watch along in the livestream.
NATO has agreed to beef up its land, sea, and air forces on its eastern flank near Ukraine and Russia following Russian President Vladimir Putin military offensive in Ukraine.
NATO ambassadors said in a statement after emergency talks on Thursday that “we have increased the readiness of our forces to respond to all contingencies.”
While some of NATO’s 30 member countries are supplying arms, ammunition, and other equipment to Ukraine, NATO as an organisation is not.
It will not launch any military action in support of Ukraine.
As we reported earlier today, countries closest to the conflict – Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland – are among those to have triggered rare consultations under Article 4 of NATO’s founding treaty, which can be launched when “the territorial integrity, political independence or security of any of the (NATO) parties is threatened.”
After the early-morning sounds of explosions on the city’s outskirts, Kharkiv residents in Ukraine’s east, until now sceptical of Western claims that a Russian attack would come to their homes, turned to the tasks they had been putting off.
Lines at gas stations were more than 10 cars back. People walked through the city with suitcases and grocery bags, stocking up on essential goods. Though the local government urged people to stay home and closed schools and offices, many went straight for an ATM.
One young woman who was waiting in line for fuel said her apartment window was blown out by the blast.
“My boyfriend had called me right before that and said, ‘You need to get up, the war has started,’ ” 18-year-old Kristina Nimenko said.