| |  |  | The Reuters Daily Briefing | Thursday, February 24, 2022 by Farouq Suleiman | Hello Here's what you need to know. Russia invades Ukraine in Europe's 'darkest hours' since WWII, NATO puts warplanes on alert, and U.S. banks tackle Russia sanctions fine print. | | | | | Today's biggest stories  Servicemen ride on an armoured vehicle with the letter 'Z' on it, after Russian President Vladimir Putin authorized a military operation in eastern Ukraine, in the town of Armyansk, Crimea, February 24, 2022. REUTERS RUSSIA ATTACKS UKRAINE In the biggest attack by one state against another in Europe since World War Two, Russia launched an all-out invasion of Ukraine by land, air and sea - a confirmation of the worst fears of the West.
The United States and its allies will impose "severe sanctions" on Russia after its military forces launched an attack on Ukraine, Joe Biden said. The U.S. president said he spoke with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and briefed him on the steps Washington was taking to rally international condemnation of Russia.
Putin's Ukraine assault confounds Biden's strategy and puts his leadership to the test. How Biden handles this crisis is expected to have profound implications for his political fortunes and U.S. relations with the world.
The President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen said the EU will hold Moscow accountable for the "unjustified" attack on Ukraine.
Here is a rundown of quotes from leaders and other senior figures shaping events after Russian forces invade Ukraine. |  Models of oil barrels and a pump jack are displayed in front of a rising stock graph and "$100" in this illustration taken February 24, 2022. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic MARKETS Oil prices broke above $100 a barrel for the first time since 2014, stock markets slumped and the rouble hit a record low on Thursday after Russian President Vladimir Putin launched an invasion of Ukraine
The rouble tumbled to an all-time low against the dollar and euro in highly volatile trading after Putin ordered Russian forces to invade Ukraine. Russia's invasion saw investors scrambling for the safety of gold and the protection of inflation hedges.
The Moscow Exchange suspended trading on all markets, saying the exchange will announce the resumption of trading at a later date.
The United States imposed sanctions on the company in charge of building Russia's Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline, expanding penalties on Moscow after it recognized two breakaway regions in eastern Ukraine.
Lawyers and industry executives said U.S. banks were well-prepared for the Western sanctions announced so far over Russia's aggression towards Ukraine, but they are still nailing down details and worry that new measures could increase the cost and complexity of enforcing the new restrictions. | U.S. Two prosecutors who had been leading the Manhattan district attorney's criminal probe into former President Donald Trump and his business practices have resigned, the district attorney's office said.
A jury was set to deliberate for a second day on whether three former Minneapolis police officers - Tou Thao, J. Alexander Kueng, and Thomas Lane - denied George Floyd his civil rights.
Florida's House of Representatives was expected to take a final vote on a Republican-backed bill that prohibits classroom discussion of sexual orientation and gender identity, a measure Democrats denounced as being anti-LGBTQ.
Courts in North Carolina and Pennsylvania approved new congressional districts that could bolster Democrats' chances of holding onto the U.S. House of Representatives in November, after Republican efforts to install more advantageous maps for their party failed in both states.
The husband of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins has said he was "so angry" that actor Alec Baldwin denied responsibility for her death after Baldwin shot her during the filming of the Western "Rust."
More than two dozen 18-wheeler trucks, along with some 50 pickups and recreational vehicles, left Adelanto, California. The self-styled 'People's Convoy' is beginning an 11-day trek to the Beltway, a major highway encircling the U.S. capital, to demand an end to COVID-19 vaccine and mask requirements. | | | | | | | | | Video of the day  Officer tied to Breonna Taylor case goes on trial The trial of a white former Kentucky police officer charged with wanton endangerment during the 2020 shooting death of Breonna Taylor began on Wednesday, casting a spotlight on another case in the United States that sparked a summer of protests against racial injustice two years ago. | | | | And finally… A good day to die: doom for the dinosaurs came in springtime  On a spring day 66 million years ago, paddlefish and sturgeon swam in a river that meandered through a flourishing landscape populated by mighty dinosaurs and small mammals at North Dakota's southwestern corner. Death came from above that day. | | | Thanks for spending part of your day with us. | | | | | |
