Russia said Tuesday it was pulling back some of its forces near the Ukrainian border to their bases, in what would be the first major step towards de-escalation after weeks of tension with the West. European leaders are headed to the region Tuesday for last-minute diplomacy, buoyed by signals from the Kremlin that there was still a way to head off a feared invasion and avoid war. Follow Tuesday’s events as they unfold below.
Ukraine says collaboration with West has stopped Russian escalation
Ukraine said Tuesday that its joint diplomatic efforts with Western allies have managed to avert a feared Russian invasion.
“We and our allies have managed to prevent Russia from any further escalation. It is already the middle of February, and you see that diplomacy is continuing to work,” Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba told reporters.
Norway adds more troops to NATO force in Lithuania
Norway will increase its contribution to NATO’s Enhanced Forward Presence forces in Lithuania by between 50 and 60 troops due to the tense security situation in and around Ukraine, the Norwegian defence minister said on Tuesday.
“The massive Russian build-up around Ukraine, and the demands on the United States and Europe, have changed the security situation in Europe,” Defence Minister Odd Roger Enoksen said in a statement.
“This also affects Norway, and we are following the situation closely,” he added.
The troops will remain in Lithuania for an initial three months, and their stay could be extended.
Top EU diplomat Borrell says EU is ready to discuss Russian security concerns
The European Union is ready to discuss Russia’s security concerns, the EU’s top diplomat Josep Borrell said on Tuesday, as tensions between Russia and Ukraine continue to heighten.
“In order to fulfill the concerns of everybody, the only way is speaking on the table and discuss,” Borrell told BBC Radio 4. “If there is a war between Russia and Ukraine, Nordstream 2 would not become operational”, he added.
Russia has massed more than 100,000 troops around Ukrainian borders in recent months but denies plans to invade. It demands what it says are security guarantees from the West.
US urges its citizens to immediately leave Belarus
The United States has urged its citizens to immediately leave Belarus, citing a buildup of Russian troops along the border with neighboring Ukraine.
The travel advisory, issued Monday, came the same day that Washington announced it was closing its Kyiv embassy and relocating staff to the Ukrainian city of Lviv 335 miles (540 kilometres) away due to a “dramatic acceleration” in the buildup of Russian forces.
Last week, Washington warned that Russia could attack “any day now”.
“Due to an increase in unusual and concerning Russian military activity near the border with Ukraine, US citizens located in or considering travel to Belarus should be aware that the situation is unpredictable and there is heightened tension in the region,” the advisory said.
It also noted that last month, the State Department ordered all family members of the Minsk embassy to leave.
American citizens have already been urged to leave Ukraine, with the West accusing Russia of sending more than 100,000 soldiers to encircle the former Soviet state.
In addition to fears of a possible military conflict on the border, Washington’s “do not travel” advisory for Belarus flagged the risk of detention, arbitrary enforcement of laws and Covid-19 entry restrictions as reasons for Americans to get out.
“The US government’s ability to provide routine or emergency services to US citizens in Belarus is already severely limited due to Belarusian government limitations on US Embassy staffing,” it said.
UK says still time for Putin to step back from conflict
Britain on Tuesday said “there is still time” for Russian President Vladimir Putin to step back and recall troops massed on Ukraine’s border.
“We could be on the brink of a war in Europe, which would have severe consequences not just for the people of Russia and Ukraine, but also for the broader security of Europe,” Foreign Minister Liz Truss told Sky News.
“There is still time for Vladimir Putin to step away from the brink. But there is only a limited amount of time for him to do that,” she added, warning an invasion could be “imminent”.
Truss held frosty talks last week with Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov in Moscow. He called it “a conversation between a mute person and a deaf person”.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Monday urged Putin to step back from “the edge of a precipice”, warning that an invasion of Ukraine could come within 48 hours.
“You’ve got about 130,000 troops massing on the Ukrainian border. This is a very, very dangerous, difficult situation,” Johnson told reporters on a visit to Scotland.
“We are on the edge of a precipice but there is still time for President Putin to step back,” he added.
Johnson will on Tuesday chair a meeting of the Civil Contingencies Committee that is convened to handle matters of national emergency or major disruption to discuss the UK’s response to the crisis.
The government on Friday urged all Britons to leave Ukraine country by commercial flights, but says it is maintaining a “core” diplomatic presence in Kyiv.
Moscow says some Russian forces near Ukraine returning to bases
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.
The comments carried by Russian news agencies come ahead a scheduled meeting between German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Russian President Vladimir Putin to defuse tensions over Ukraine.
A build-up of some 100,000 Russian troops around the ex-Soviet country spurred European leaders and Washington to warn of sweeping economic penalties if Russia escalates an ongoing separatist conflict in Ukraine by sending in troops.
Tensions have been exacerbated by Russian military drills, including near Ukraine and in Belarus, where the United States says some 30,000 troops are participating in exercises scheduled to run until February 20.
Meeting with Putin earlier this week, Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu said some of the Russian war games would soon be drawing to a close.
Ukraine’s defence minister meanwhile said Monday he had spoken with his Belarusian counterpart and received assurances there was no threat to Kyiv from Belarusian territory.
Japan PM Kishida, EU’s von der Leyen discuss Ukraine – ministry
Japan’s Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen discussed the Ukraine situation during a telephone call on Tuesday, Japan’s foreign ministry said.
“The two leaders shared the view that they have monitored the situation around Ukraine with grave concern and consistently supported the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine,” the ministry said in a statement.
Germany calls on Russia to ‘withdraw its troops’ around Ukraine
Germany on Tuesday said it was up to Russia to de-escalate the conflict around Ukraine, calling for Moscow to withdraw its troops, as Chancellor Olaf Scholz readied to meet President Vladimir Putin over the crisis.
“The situation is particularly dangerous and can escalate at any moment,” Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said in a statement, ahead of the talks in Moscow between the two leaders.
“The responsibility for de-escalation is clearly with Russia, and it is for Moscow to withdraw its troops,” she said.
“The EU and NATO are united around Ukraine,” she said, adding that “we must use all opportunities for dialogue in order to reach a peaceful solution.”
Scholz’s talks with Putin at the Kremlin are 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.
The Russian leader and his top aides have consistently argued that the current crisis is the result of the United States and western Europe ignoring Moscow’s legitimate security concerns.
(FRANCE 24 with AP, AFP and REUTERS)
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