The crisis over Russia's massive military buildup at Ukraine's borders, which escalated early on Thursday with a full-scale attack, "could last a long time," Italy's premier Mario Draghi told a G7 virtual summit.
"We are all dumbstruck by what happened overnight. This crisis could last a long time and we must be prepared," Draghi said.
He thanked US president Joe Biden for "sharing information" in recent weeks and the European Commission "for the excellent package of sanctions" that it proposed.
"On the sanctions, we are completely aligned with France, Germany and the entire European Union," Draghi stated.
"We must be united, firm and resolved at all times and show our full support to Ukraine."
EU leaders on Thursday adopted what its foreign policy chief Josep Borrell called "the harshest package of sanctions we have ever implemented".
The EU sanctions include freezing Russian assets in the 27-member bloc, denying banks' access to European financial markets and imposing export controls. Russia's trade, energy and transport are among other sectors that the EU will target.
