Poland's prime minister called for a strong response internationally following the Russian parliament agreeing to President Putin's request for powers to send armed forces into Ukraine.

PM Donald Tusk pledges solidarity with Ukraine, Saturday evening: PAP/Tomasz Gzell

"The international community must exert the strongest pressure on Russia," Donald Tusk said after meeting with foreign and defense ministers in Warsaw on the rapidly deteriorating situation in Ukraine.

"We must give a very clear signal that Europe and the world will not tolerate acts of aggression or intervention," Tusk said, adding that, "it's time the people of Ukraine were shown who their true friends are".

Tusk called for a meeting of the EU's European Council to discuss a response to Russian senators voting unanimously to give President Putin powers to send troops into "the territory of Ukraine".

Jaroslaw Kaczynski, leader of Law and Justice (PiS), Poland's largest opposition party, also called for international security organizations to convene and a "response to Russia's unprecedented steps towards Ukraine".

Kaczynski said that the Polish government and president must take appropriate measures to ensure security "against the escalating conflict on the vicinity of our borders, threatening unforeseeable consequences."

A Kremlin spokesman said that Russia hopes there will be no further escalation and that President Putin has not yet decided if he will send troops into Ukraine.

The UK has called an urgent meeting of the UN Security Council, which meets on Saturday evening (pg)



source: PAP/IAR/Reuters