Germany assures Ukrainians of solidarity, warns of severe consequences for Russia

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz spoke to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Thursday and assured him of German solidarity, a government spokesperson said on Twitter. It is a flagrant breach of international law," said Economy Minister Robert Habeck in a statement.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz spoke to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Thursday and assured him of German solidarity, a government spokesperson said on Twitter. Russian forces fired missiles at several cities in Ukraine and landed troops on its south coast on Thursday, officials and media said, after President Vladimir Putin authorized what he called a special military operation in the east.

"We have a land war in Europe that we thought was only to find in history books. It is a flagrant breach of international law," said Economy Minister Robert Habeck in a statement. "For Russia, this attack will have severe political and economic consequences." German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said the international community would not forget this "day of infamy" and said Germany would respond together with its partners.

Baerbock added that she had convened a meeting of the government's crisis team for 8:30 a.m. (0730 GMT).

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