Ukraine calls for NATO to cut diplomatic ties with Russia amid invasion: 'darkest time since 1939'
At least 40 Ukrainian service members have been killed, death tolls are expected to rise
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Ukraine’s foreign minister has called on all NATO allies to cut diplomatic ties with Moscow after Russia invaded early Thursday in the largest military attack on a European nation since WWII.
"Ukraine has severed diplomatic relations with Russia. I call on all our partners to do the same," Dmytro Kuleba said in a Twitter post. "By this concrete step you will demonstrate that you stand by Ukraine and categorically reject the most blatant act of aggression in Europe since WWII."
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The calls to cut diplomatic ties run counter to what State Department press secretary Ned Price said during a Wednesday briefing to reporters when he stated the goal was to keep the line of communication open with Moscow.
"We believe in times of conflict, in times of crisis, that the ability to communicate is in some ways even more imperative," Price said.
Fox News Digital could not immediately reach the State Department for comment on how they will proceed following the latest attack.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Russian President Vladimir Putin launched a mass assault on Ukraine Thursday morning through a land, sea and air campaign as troops crossed Ukrainian borders through Russia and Belarus, as well as the Black and Azov seas.
The map shows where Russia attacks have been reported in Ukraine.
NATO leaders rushed to condemn the attack that Western countries have been warning against for weeks and U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson declared that Putin had "unleashed war in our European continent."
"We cannot and will not just look away," Johnson said in an address Thursday morning. "Diplomatically, politically, economically – and eventually, militarily – this hideous and barbaric venture of Vladimir Putin must end in failure."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}RUSSIAN INVADES UKRAINE IN LARGEST EUROPEAN ATTACK SINCE WWII
A wounded woman is seen as airstrike damages an apartment complex outside of Kharkiv, Ukraine, on Feb. 24, 2022. (Wolfgang Schwan/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
Johnson called the attack on Ukraine "an attack on democracy and freedom in East Europe and around the world," and referred to Putin as a "dictator."
Images have surfaced showing Ukrainians attempting to flee the capital city of Kyiv and at least 40 Ukrainian military members are believed to have been killed in the Russian invasion so far.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Death estimates are expected to rise.
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Smoke rises from an air defense base in the aftermath of an apparent Russian strike in Mariupol, Ukraine, Thursday, Feb. 24, 2022. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
"In our eyes, Putin is immersing Europe in the darkest time since 1939," Kuleba said in a separate post. "Don't have naive hopes of sitting aside. Do not repeat the mistakes of the past. Beat Russia with tough sanctions.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"Provide Ukraine with military and financial support. Together we will stop Russian aggression," he added.
President Biden is expected to address the nation Thursday.