Continued attacks of unrelenting intensity and brutality, wanton destruction, entire cities under siege and attempts to demoralise the civilian population: these are the horrifying pictures of Putin’s war in Ukraine. More and more Ukrainians are being forced to flee the fighting and leave their homeland – also because they know that Russia’s actions are only poised to become more destructive and transgressive. President Putin leaves no doubt as to what his goal is: taking all of Ukraine. To him, it is a perfidious game –while people in Ukraine are fighting for survival.

In this situation, we will be meeting in Brussels today, in NATO as well as in the EU and the G7, to once more make unmistakably clear that we will never abandon Ukrainians to their fate. We will neither abandon those who are in Ukraine defending their country nor those who have left seeking refuge and who depend on our support. This includes providing people with urgently needed humanitarian assistance as much as it does on provision of materiel support and strict implementation of the unprecedented sanctions that we have imposed over the past few days, in response to the Russian Government’s actions.

With his war, President Putin is achieving only one thing: immeasurable suffering on all sides. We will continue to demonstrate to him – as we did most recently in New York – in political and economic terms that he will face united action and a globally isolated Russia if he continues down this path. With his war against Ukraine, he is bringing ruin on his own country, as well.