Major stock exchanges in Europe ended with significant losses on Thursday as Moscow's attacks on Ukraine kept escalating, with the US and NATO imposing further sanction measures on Russia. Ukraine has also called upon the West to take graver steps in completely blocking Russian banks from the international SWIFT payment system.

The DAX contracted by 3.96%, with Deutsche Bank AG NA O.N. dropping 12.54%, while London's FTSE 100 was 3.88% lower at closing time, dragged down by Polymetal International PLC ORD NPV's 37.82% plunge. Meanwhile, the CAC 40 declined by 3.83%, with its worst performer Societe Generale SA falling 12.15%.

The euro was down 1.40% against the dollar, selling for 1.11467 at 5:30 am CET. The British pound decreased by 1.39% in comparison to the greenback, going for 1.33560 at the same time.