Poland bans Russian airlines from its airspace

"I have ordered the preparation of a resolution of the council of ministers which will lead to the closure of the airspace over Poland to Russian airlines," Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki wrote on social media on Friday.

A government spokesman Piotr Müller later said on Twitter that "the ban will come into force from midnight".

Müller also said that day that Morawiecki had proposed to European Union leaders on Thursday including imports of Russian coal in the bloc's package of sanctions on Russia following its invasion of Ukraine

"During the EU council meeting yesterday, Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki proposed to impose sanctions on imports of Russian coal," Piotr Muller wrote in a text message responding to a question from Reuters.

President Vladimir Putin "must and will fail," top European Union leaders said on Friday (February 25) as they agreed new sanctions over his invasion of Ukraine, saying he was trying to bring the continent back to the age of empires and confrontations.

Russia launched its invasion by land, air and sea on Thursday following a declaration of war by Putin. An estimated 100,000 people fled as explosions and gunfire rocked major cities. Dozens have been reported killed.

The bloc's leaders agreed in principle at an emergency overnight summit to impose new economic sanctions, joining the United States and others in taking steps such as curbing Russia's access to technologies.

EU Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen told a news conference that the sanctions, would "cut Russia's access to the most important capital markets" hence increasing the former Soviet Republic's borrowing costs and raise inflation there.

Von der Leyen also said that export curbs to Russia would hurt its oil sector by stopping access to material it needs from the EU for its oil refineries. That will, over time, trigger a depletion in Russia's oil refining revenues, she said.

However, whereas the United States issued detailed sanctions on Thursday, EU countries, split over just how far to go, left details to be worked out in the coming days.

President Volodymyr Zelenskiy urged Europe on Friday to act more quickly and forcefully in imposing sanctions on Moscow for invading Ukraine, accusing western allies of politicking as Moscow's forces advanced on Kyiv. 

"Europe has enough strength to stop this aggression," Zelenskiy said, adding that everything from banning Russians from entering the European Union to cutting Moscow off from SWIFT to an oil embargo should be on the table.

"You still can stop this aggression. You have to act swiftly," he said.