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PremiumAmid hectic diplomatic efforts to ease the Ukraine-Russia crisis, Moscow announced the start of a pullback of some forces after drills that raised US and European alarm about a possible military assault on its neighbor. Diplomatic efforts are continuing, with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz meeting Russian President Vladimir Putin a day after his visit to Ukraine.
Only Ukraine and NATO should determine Kyiv's bid to join the alliance, Ukraine's Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said after meeting his Italian counterpart Luigi Di Maio in Kyiv on Tuesday.
"No one but Ukraine and NATO members should have a say in the discussions about Ukraine's future NATO membership," Kuleba said.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken was speaking to his Russian counterpart, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, by phone on Tuesday, a senior State Department official said.
"When they last spoke, they agreed to stay in touch," the official said of Blinken and Lavrov, amid diplomatic efforts by the West to deter a potential Russian invasion of Ukraine.
At 80 years old, Kyiv retiree Yuriy Mykhailin has seen Ukraine battle through a lot to forge its own path in the world, and he's not going to let Russian pressure daunt him now.
On Tuesday, hearing reports from Moscow that suggested some Russian forces were pulling back from the border, he choked back tears of emotion.
"I want to sign up to the Kyiv territorial defence to protect my family, my children and grandchildren," he said told AFP.
Vladimir Putin said Tuesday that Moscow is ready for talks with the US and NATO on limits for missile deployments and military transparency, in a new sign of easing East-West tensions. The statement came after Russia announced it is pulling back some troops from exercises that have raised fears of a potential invasion of Ukraine.
Speaking after talks with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Putin said the U.S. and NATO rejected Moscow’s demand to keep Ukraine and other ex-Soviet nations out of NATO, halt weapons deployments near Russian borders and roll back alliance forces from Eastern Europe.
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday said Russia 'of course' does not want war.
"Do we want this or not? Of course, not. That is exactly why we put forward proposals for a process of negotiations," Putin told a press conference following talks with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in Moscow.
France has not yet verified whether Russia is pulling back some troops from Ukraine's border but if the information is correct, this would be a "positive sign", French government spokesman Gabriel Attal told journalists.
"If it is confirmed, this is a good thing," Attal said, adding: "This shows (...) we can continue the dialogue, that the path of diplomacy is a path on which we can move further."
Talks between Russian President Vladimir Putin and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz began in Moscow today. Scholz's meeting with Putin comes a day after he travelled to Kyiv to shore up support for Ukraine during talks with President Volodymyr Zelensky. "It's clear that we now have to talk about the difficult situation regarding security in Europe," the German leader said at the onset of talks with Putin. The Russian president said that energy issues would also be on the agenda.
Over 20 ships from Russia's Northern fleet have started drills in the Barents Sea, the Interfax news agency cited the fleet as saying on Tuesday.
The exercises in the Arctic waters between Russia and Norway are part of broader drills which have prompted fears that Moscow may invade Ukraine. Russia denies such plans.
Russia's military increased inspections of units in rebel-held parts of Ukraine since the end of last week, the Interfax Ukraine news agency said on Tuesday, quoting a Ukrainian military intelligence report.
Much remains unclear about Russia's intentions and how the crisis over Ukraine will play out. Here’s a look at what is happening where and why:
WHAT IS THE RUSSIAN GOVERNMENT SAYING?
Russia’s Defense Ministry announced that some units participating in exercises would begin returning to their bases. But it wasn't immediately clear where exactly these troops were deployed or how many were leaving.
WHAT ARE NATO ALLIES SAYING?
British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said a Russian invasion of Ukraine “could be imminent," but there's still time for Putin “to step away from the brink."
Truss said before Russia made its announcement about pulling back some military units that “we believe that Vladimir Putin has not yet made a decision about whether to invade Ukraine. We think it’s highly likely."
In Oslo, Norwegian Foreign Minister Anniken Huitfeldt said that “a Russian attack on Ukraine may be imminent."
Brent futures fell as much as 2.1% to trade below $95 a barrel while futures in New York also slumped. Some Russian military units will start returning to their permanent bases on Tuesday after completing drills, Interfax reported, citing the Defense Ministry. Crude has swung wildly this week amid a flurry of reports about the tensions over Ukraine.
Russia's State Duma lower house of parliament today voted on Tuesday to appeal to President Vladimir Putin to recognise two Russian-backed breakaway regions in eastern Ukraine as independent, the speaker of the house said.
Recognition of the two regions could kill off the existing Minsk peace process for east Ukraine to which Russia has said it is committed.
Worries about Ukraine and the removal of help for economies over COVID-19 will challenge markets, which were already showing signs of being overvalued and heading for sharp corrections, the European Union's securities watchdog said on Tuesday.
Gold fell after a report that some Russian troops are returning to their bases. The precious metal earlier touched the highest level in eight months amid simmering geopolitical tensions over Ukraine.
Ukraine said Tuesday that its joint diplomatic efforts with Western allies have managed to deter a feared Russian invasion.
"We and our allies have managed to prevent Russia from any further escalation," Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said while speaking to reporters.
"It is already the middle of February, and you see that diplomacy is continuing to work."
The US is offering up to $1 billion in credit guarantees to help Ukraine weather the threat of war against Russia, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said.
Blinken said the offer would bolster "Ukraine's ability to ensure economic stability, growth, and prosperity for its people in the face of Russia's destabilizing behavior."
European stocks opened slightly higher today, the dollar eased and gold was just below an 8-month high as investors remained focused on the risk of Russia invading Ukraine.
The United States had earlier said that Russia could invade Ukraine any time, a prospect that has prompted investors to sell riskier assets so far this week.
Investor risk appetite improved slightly on Monday when Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov suggested that Moscow should continue along the diplomatic path to resolve the tensions.
The European Parliament on Tuesday approved a new 1.2-billion-euro ($1.36 billion) EU aid package for Ukraine as fears of a potential Russian invasion threaten its economy.
Russia said Tuesday that some forces deployed near Ukraine were beginning to return to their bases, after a build up of Moscow's army around Ukrainian borders spurred fears of an invasion.
"Units of the Southern and Western military districts, having completed their tasks, have already begun loading onto rail and road transport and today they will begin moving to their military garrisons," a defence ministry spokesman said in comments carried by Russian news agencies.
Oil retreated from the highest since 2014 as traders weighed an apparent cooling in the Ukrainian crisis and prospects for increased supply.
West Texas Intermediate fell after topping $95 a barrel on Monday. Despite U.S. warnings a Russian invasion of Ukraine may be imminent, Moscow is now calling for a diplomatic approach and denying, again, it plans an assault.
Embassy of India in Kyiv asks Indians, particularly students whose stay is not essential, to leave Ukraine temporarily in view of uncertainties of the current situation. Read full story
Japan's Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi stressed on the need for a diplomatic resolution amid rising tensions in the Russia-Ukraine conflict and added that the Nation would take “appropriate steps, including possible sanctions, in response to what has actually happened, and in coordination with the G7 and international community."
Canada will donate over $7 million of lethal weapons and assorted support items to the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the Canadian government said in a statement on Monday.
The weapons include machine guns, pistols, carbines, 1.5 million rounds of ammunition, sniper rifles, and various related equipment," the press release said.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz is set to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin today in the latest in an intense diplomatic scramble to dissuade the Russian leader from attacking his ex-Soviet neighbour Ukraine. Western leaders consider the Russian troop build-up on its border with Ukraine to be the worst threat to the continent's security since the Cold War, and have prepared a crippling package of economic sanctions in response to any attack on its neighbour.
European carriers took further steps to avoid Ukraine, while airline shares sank after tension mounted through the weekend over Russia’s troop buildup at the border.
KLM stopped flying to Ukraine on Saturday after the Dutch government raised its alert to red, advising citizens to leave because security was uncertain.
The Biden Administration has warned Russia of “severe consequences" in case its forces invade Ukraine and insisted on a diplomatic solution to the issue.
Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Monday called on the country's people to fly flags and sing the national anthem in unison on Feb. 16, a date that some Western media say Russian could invade.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz heads to Moscow on Tuesday to meet President Vladimir Putin in a high stakes mission to avert war, with Russia's largest trading partner in Europe warning of far-reaching sanctions if it attacks Ukraine.
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