Government and intergovernmental reactions to the Russian invasion of Ukraine

[16] Russian officials called images of the attack "fake news" and labelled a pregnant woman pictured fleeing the bombed hospital as an actor.

[19] On 16 March, Putin gave a speech calling Russian opponents of the war "scum and traitors,"[20] saying that "natural and necessary self-cleansing of society will only strengthen our country.

"[78] It has been alleged that Cambodia's foreign ministry wanted to remain strictly neutral and abstain at UN votes, similar to Vietnam and Laos, in the days after Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24 last year but Hun Sen intervened and ordered his diplomat at the UN to co-sponsor a resolution condemning Moscow.

[94] Prime Minister Sanna Marin said Russia's invasion of Ukraine would change the debate around NATO membership within her country, and wrote on Twitter that "The attack is a grave breach of international law and threatens the life of numerous civilians.

[117] Vice Prime Minister/Minister of Foreign Affairs of Georgia, David Zalkaliani stated that "Military aggression launched by Russia against Ukraine is totally intolerable".

[186] The Monaco Royal Palace said in a statement "The Principality has adopted and implemented, without delay, procedures for freezing funds and economic sanctions identical to those taken by most European States.

[202] Minister of Foreign Affairs José Manuel Albares called the attack "unjustifiable" and a "blatant violation of international law", and announced that Spain was coordinating with EU partners and NATO allies.

[240] On 27 February, Spanish Defence Minister Margarita Robles announced the shipment of 20 tons of defense military equipment to Ukraine[241] and advanced the request to send the frigate Blas de Lezo in conjunction with a NATO mission.

[245] Prime Minister Boris Johnson said that he was "appalled by the horrific events in Ukraine" and "President Putin has chosen a path of bloodshed and destruction by launching this unprovoked attack".

[254] During a visit to Southend-on-Sea, the Prince of Wales condemned the Russian invasion, stating: "What we saw in the terrible tragedy in Southend was an attack on democracy, on an open society, on freedom itself.

[253] The royal household of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge stated on Twitter: "In October 2020 we had the privilege to meet President Zelenskyy and the First Lady to learn of their hope and optimism for Ukraine's future.

[257] Gibraltar – "Today's actions by Russia, launching a full-scale invasion of a sovereign, democratic nation without any provocation or reasonable excuse, is nothing short of appalling.

[267] Biden additionally condemned Russian oligarchs who supported Putin, stating that "We are joining with our European allies to find and seize your yachts, your luxury apartments, your private jets.

[73] On 27 February 2022, Israeli Interior Minister Ayelet Shaked declared a two-month visa extension for all Ukrainian tourists in Israel, so they could receive temporary asylum from the war in Ukraine.

[73] Serbian Foreign Minister Nikola Selaković said that "Russia was Serbia's biggest support in its battle to preserve its territorial integrity and sovereignty and avoid the stigmatisation of the entire Serb people."

[319] On 16 May Serbia signed the "Tirana declaration" and deplored in the strongest terms the illegal and unjustified aggression by the Russian Federation against Ukraine in violation of Article 2(4) of the UN Charter.

[370] Islamabad views Moscow as a key long-term partner in Central Asia and the Middle East, looking for increased trade and investment in the region to supplement its national development.

[73] The Lao state-run news agency reliably repeated comments from Russian diplomats, including in a briefing in early May that "with the help of foreign countries, Ukraine has become a center of attraction for terrorists and mercenaries" and "The West is openly encouraging Kiev to attack Russia."

[420][421] The Deputy Head of the Sovereign Council Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo stated: "Russia has the right to act in the interests of its citizens and protect its people.

[457] Following the 24 February 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, eight NATO member states – Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, and Slovakia – triggered security consultations under Article 4.

[539] NATO forces included the USS Harry S. Truman's Carrier Strike Group 8, which entered the Mediterranean Sea the previous week as part of a planned exercise.

[540] As Russia began to build forces on Ukraine's border in the lead-up to the invasion, Finland and Sweden, both neutral states, increased their cooperation with NATO.

On 25 February, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova threatened Finland and Sweden with "military and political consequences" if they attempted to join NATO.

[543] A public petition asking the Parliament of Finland to hold a referendum to join NATO reached the required 50,000 signatures, prompting a parliamentary discussion on 1 March.

[547] Sullivan added on 22 March, during Biden's trip to Europe to discuss updating NATO's posture towards Russia, that Biden would emphasize three key issues: new sanctions against Russia and tightening existing sanctions, longer-term adjustments to NATO force posture and contingencies in the case of nuclear weapons use, and 'joint action' on enhancing energy security in Europe, which is highly reliant on Russian gas.

[562] On 2 March, a SWIFT ban for certain Russian banks was adopted, ensuring that they were disconnected from the international financial system, and the broadcasting activities in the EU of the outlets Sputnik and RT were suspended.

[566] On 15 March, the EU decided to impose a fourth package of economic and individual sanctions, including trade restrictions for iron, steel, and luxury goods.

[570] On 1 April, President of the European Parliament Roberta Metsola visited Kyiv to "show the EU's support for Ukraine" and to meet with Ukrainian officials.

[572] The same day, a delegation including European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell and prime minister of Slovakia Eduard Heger visited Ukraine.

[518][577] On 25 June 2024, the ICC issued an arrest warrant for Russia's former defence minister, Sergei Shoigu, and the chief of general staff, Valery Gerasimov, on charges of alleged war crimes for missile strikes against Ukrainian energy infrastructure.