Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky has confirmed reports of missile strikes by Russia in the country.
He said Russia has carried out missile strikes on Ukraine’s infrastructure and on border guards.
Zelensky is calling on his national security and defense council to declare martial law.
The council is expected to hold an urgent meeting to decide the issue.
This comes as Russia’s defense ministry has denied attacking Ukrainian cities – saying it is targeting military infrastructure, air defense and air forces with “high-precision weapons”, the country’s state agency RIA citied the ministry as saying
The Ukrainian armed forces has posted a statement saying that Russian military began “intensive shelling” of its units in the east of the country.
According to the statement, Russia also launched missile strikes on Boryspil airport near Kyiv and several other airports
It said the Ukrainian air force is fighting off an air attack by Russia.
The statement denied reports about Russian paratroops in the southern port city of Odesa
In his reaction, US President Joe Biden says he has spoken with his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelensky, and briefed him on the steps he is taking “to rally international condemnation”.
In a statement, Biden says he condemned the attack as “unprovoked and unjustified”.
Zelensky “asked me to call on the leaders of the world to speak out clearly against President Putin’s flagrant aggression, and to stand with the people of Ukraine”, Biden adds.
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