Putin says sanctions over Ukraine are like ‘Declaration of war’, Zelensky criticizes NATO

Picture Courtesy: EPA

Russian President Vladimir Putin has said that the sanctions imposed by Western nations over his invasion of Ukraine are equivalent to a declaration of war. However, he added, "But thank God it has not come to that”.

He said that any attempt to impose a no-fly zone over Ukraine would be seen as participation in the conflict between Russia and Ukraine. He added that he is not planning to impose martial law in Russia, nor is planning to have a state of emergency.

This statement by Putin comes after western nations have imposed a bunch of sanctions over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The sanctions include freezing Mr. Putin's foreign assets and the exclusion of a number of Russian banks from the Swift international payments system.

Joining a number of brands and companies that have stopped their operations in Russia, Zara, Samsung, and PayPal became the latest global brands to suspend trading there. The economic ramifications of these sanctions have been catastrophic for the Russian economy with the Ruble plunging since the sanctions.

While speaking to a group of women flight attendants at an Aeroflot training center near Moscow, Mr. Putin also tried to justify his invasion in Ukraine saying he was seeking to defend Russian-speaking communities there through the "demilitarisation and de-Nazification" of the country. There had been rumors that Mr. Putin was planning to declare martial law.

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky has condemned Nato for ruling out the no-fly zone. However, Western leaders say introducing the measure would be an escalation.