(Bloomberg) -- The U.S. and European allies promised a swift response to Russia's military invasion of Ukraine, as China refrained from criticizing President Vladimir Putin for ordering attacks across the former Soviet republic and sending troops over the border.
“President Putin has chosen a premeditated war that will bring a catastrophic loss of life and human suffering,” President Joe Biden said. “The United States and its allies and partners will respond in a united and decisive way.”
As the Russian military attacked targets across Ukraine, fulfilling the direst warnings of the U.S. and its allies, U.S. and European Union leaders prepared to gather to thrash out further sanctions designed to put more pressure on the Russian economy.
Read more: Putin Orders Russian Attacks Across Ukraine in ‘Dark Day'
China, which has forged a strategic bond with Russia, urged restraint from “all parties” in the attack, directing its criticism at the U.S. government for “hyping” war in Europe. A spokeswoman for the Foreign Ministry in Beijing said that, while China calls for peace, Russia is independent and can determine its own strategy.
Here is a roundup of reactions from across the globe:
U.S.
Biden plans to outline the U.S. reaction to what the president called an “unprovoked and unjustified attack” in an address later on Thursday. White House officials were still assessing the scope of the next round of penalties will be on Wednesday night.
In a separate statement early Thursday, Biden indicated that the U.S. and its allies would “be imposing severe sanctions on Russia.”
China
Foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunyung repeatedly sidestepped questions about whether China considers Putin's military operation an invasion, even as she asserted that sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries must be protected.
China “didn't wish to see what happened in Ukraine,” she told reporters in Beijing. “The parties directly concerned should exercise restraint and prevent the situation from getting out of control.”
EU
Leaders from the 27-nation bloc plan to meet in Brussels Thursday evening to flesh out a list of punitive measures against Russia that will include restrictions on broad sectors of the economy, freezing assets held in the EU and sanctions on the financial sector. The bloc may seek to sanction Putin personally, according to diplomats who asked not to be identified.
“We will weaken Russia's economic base and its capacity to modernize,” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen told reporters in Brussels, citing blocked access to technologies and key markets. “In addition, we will freeze Russian assets in the European Union and stop the access of Russian banks to European financial markets.”
NATO
The military alliance will activate defense plans and bolster forces on its eastern frontier, defending “every inch” of allied territory, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg told reporters in Brussels. The North Atlantic Treaty Organization will convene a virtual leaders summit on Friday.
“Over the last months and weeks, we have significantly increased the presence of NATO troops in the eastern part of the alliance, more land troops, ground forces but also air and naval forces,” Stoltenberg said, reiterating that there were no plans to send troops to Ukraine. “In the coming days and weeks there will come even more, so we will further increase and we are increasing our presence in the eastern part of the alliance.”
Germany
Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who this week halted certification for the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline linking Russia and Germany, called the attack order a “blatant” violation of international law and said EU measures will be “tough.”
“The goal of the sanctions is to make it clear to the Russian leadership that they will pay a bitter price for these aggressions,” he told reporters in Berlin. He said he'll make a statement at a special session of the lower house of parliament in Berlin on Sunday.
His foreign minister, Annalena Baerbock, said earlier that the international community “will not forget this day of shame.”
France
French President Emmanuel Macron, who at the beginning of the week had hoped to broker a top level summit meeting between Putin and Biden, called for an immediate halt to hostilities.
“France strongly condemns Russia's decision to make war on Ukraine,” Macon said on Twitter. “Russia must immediately cease its military operations.”
The French leader convened a defense and national security council meeting, which included Prime Minister Jean Castex, Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian and Defense Minister Florence Parly, among others.
U.K.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson said he was “appalled by the horrific events” in Ukraine as his government prepared a new round of sanctions in coordination with allies. Johnson is due to make a statement to Parliament in London later on Thursday.
Poland and the Baltics
The Polish government, which will push for maximum EU sanctions, including individual measures against Putin and Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, will also seek greater deployment of NATO forces on the alliance's eastern flank. Along with Baltic allies, it also has asked for Article 4 consultations at NATO, which allows members of the alliance to seek help if they feel threatened.
“We must immediately respond to Russia's criminal aggression on Ukraine,” Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said in a Facebook post. “Europe and the free world have to stop Putin. Today's European Council should approve fiercest possible sanctions.”
Czech Republic
Czech President Milos Zeman, who for years has bucked EU consensus with his allegiance to Putin, reversed course and called for sanctions that would cut Russia off from the Swift international payments system. The about-face was remarkable coming from a leader who had been a committed backer of Russian policy.
“A madman must be isolated,” Zeman, whose office is largely ceremonial, said in a televised speech in Prague. “The irrational decision of the Russian Federation will cause significant damage to the Russian state itself.”
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