Russia Ukraine Putin

Russian President Vladimir Putin will quickly win the initial, tactical phase of this war, if it comes. The vast army that Russia has arrayed along Ukraine's ...

The cries for a negotiated settlement will increase, with some proposing new concessions to placate Putin. But after that global shock will come a wave of rage and a demand that Russia pay a price for its aggression. But U.S. military officials say Putin has sent orders to his commanders to prepare for possible battle by the middle of this week, when the ground in central Ukraine will have frozen more than a foot deep, allowing rapid tank advance. Russian forces could simultaneously attack from the southeast, across the separatist-controlled Donbass region, and from the east, near Kharkiv. This pincer movement might try to envelop the Ukrainian army and destroy it over several weeks. From the north, many thousands of Russian troops are gathered at the western edge of Russia, ready to cross the border and surge toward Kyiv, overwhelming Ukrainian forces a fraction of that size. The dirty part of this war would be fought by special forces: In the hours before an invasion, the “Spetsnaz” units of the GRU and the intelligence teams of the FSB might seize key targets in Kyiv and other cities, such as radio and television stations, power facilities and government installations. Meantime, to check any NATO thoughts of intervention, Russian nuclear bombers, missile forces and submarines will be on alert this month in a hastily scheduled “ exercise.” Farther west, a similar number of Russian troops are in southern Belarus, ready for a second thrust at Kyiv, again facing a minimal Ukrainian force. First, he believes the rules-based global order would be threatened by an unprovoked Russian invasion, and that Putin must pay a severe cost if he takes this lawless action. Scores of Russian bombers are being loaded with precision-guided munitions, and dozens of artillery batteries are ready, along with nearly a dozen missile batteries. Russian President Vladimir Putin will quickly win the initial, tactical phase of this war, if it comes. But then Putin’s real battle would begin — as Russia and its Ukrainian proxies try to stabilize a country whose people largely detest them. The world will be watching in horror if Russia invades Ukraine this week — but just watching.

President Joe Biden warned Russian President Vladimir Putin that the US and its allies will respond "decisively and impose swift and severe costs" on Russia ...

According to Ushakov, Biden told Putin he was "committed to the diplomatic path and had laid out a range of considerations that he sees as addressing many of Russia's concerns." The stakes of this are too high not to give Russia every chance to avoid an action that we believe would be catastrophic. The first face-to-face meeting between Putin and Biden as heads of state took place in Geneva in June 2021. "We obviously cannot predict the future, we don't know exactly what is going to happen. "But you know, we are not basing our assessment of this on what the Russians say publicly," the official continued. "The two Presidents agreed that our teams will stay engaged in the days ahead," the official told reporters after the call.

Ukraine news from February 11: US president tells Russian leader an invasion would 'produce widespread human suffering'.

“Right now, the people’s biggest enemy is panic in our country. “The EU and its member states are coordinating their actions in view of the current threats on Ukraine. Our diplomatic missions are not closing. RIA said more than 30 Russian ships have left the ports of Sevastopol and Novorossiisk “in accordance to the plans of the drills” near Crimea, which Russia annexed from Ukraine in 2014. The call started at 16:04 GMT. Butler said the residents of the city know that the situation is “extremely tense” and that there is a sense that it could be “a lot more critical than before”. “The armed force of Ukraine are constantly monitoring the situation and are ready to rebuff any encroachment on its territorial integrity and sovereignty.” “At the moment, it is critically important to remain calm, to consolidate inside the country, to avoid destabilising actions and those that sow panic,” the foreign ministry said in a statement. The statements in Washington show the US has intensified its “propaganda campaign against our country”, and wants to create the impression that aggression is “inevitable”, he added. Ukrainians marched through the centre of Kyiv in a column, chanting “Glory to Ukraine” and carrying Ukrainian flags and banners that said “Ukrainians will resist” and “Invaders must die”. More than 1,000 law enforcement officers took part in the drills that aim to prepare for the “timely and effective response to situational destabilising factors”, the Ministry of Internal Affairs said in a statement. They remain in Kyiv and continue to operate in support to EU citizens and in cooperation with the Ukrainian authorities,” Josep Borrell said in a statement. In a video call with Russian President Vladimir Putin, US President Joe Biden made clear that if Russia invades Ukraine, Washington and its allies would respond “decisively and impose swift and severe costs”, according to the White House.

A comically large table separated Vladimir Putin and Emmanuel Macron after the French president flew to Moscow last week for crisis talks aimed at averting ...

Diplomatic efforts to avert a Russian invasion of Ukraine failed to ease tensions over the weekend, as the Biden administration warned that a Russian attack ...

The weapons: Ukraine is making use of weapons such as Javelin antitank missiles and Switchblade “kamikaze” drones, provided by the United States and other allies. The United States, Germany, Britain, Latvia, Norway, the Netherlands, Israel, South Korea and Japan and others in recent days have reduced their personnel and urged citizens to get out of Ukraine as soon as possible. “There are some nuances I would have done different than the Biden administration, but I think now’s the time to stand unified.” The last independent newsletter in Russia suspended its operations. A Belarusian opposition group accused Russia of using only some of its troops in the drills. Military analysts have warned that the exercise could be used as cover for an invasion. On Saturday, Canada said it will relocate its staff from Kyiv to Lviv, about 60 miles from the Polish border. Ukraine’s foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba meanwhile said Sundaythat the “situation remains under control” and that Ukraine was “prepared for any scenario.” “We have not been sitting with our arms folded for the last months, we have prepared for all scenarios — absolutely all — and as of now we are ready for them,” he said in a video released by the foreign ministry. That buildup “and the movement of Russian forces of all varieties closer to the border” has put Russia “in a position where they could launch a military action very, very rapidly,” he said Sunday on CNN’s “State of the Union,” adding that it was still impossible to predict what would happen. Biden, in an hour-long call with the Russian president Saturday, said the United States and its allies would “respond decisively” to a Russian invasion of Ukraine, which U.S. officials have said will probably start with a barrage of air or missile strikes. “The two leaders agreed on the importance of continuing to pursue diplomacy and deterrence in response to Russia’s military buildup on Ukraine’s borders,” the White House said in a short statement following the 51-minute call between Biden and Zelensky. Diplomatic efforts to avert a Russian invasion of Ukraine failed to ease tensions over the weekend, as the Biden administration warned that a Russian attack could happen at any moment and promised to respond to any aggression “swiftly and decisively.”

The US president promises a swift response if Russia invades Ukraine while Kremlin denounces US's 'peak hysteria'.

“We must unite and fight for independence.” Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Joe Biden have spoken about Russia’s military build-up, but the one-hour call ended without a breakthrough. The ministry said it had summoned the US defence attache in Moscow over the incident, while the Pentagon said only that it was aware of press reports. The United Kingdom and the US also pulled out most of their remaining military advisors while the US embassy ordered “most” of its Kyiv staff to leave. The prospect of fleeing Westerners prompted Kyiv to issue an appeal to its citizens to “remain calm”. Putin has slammed Western claims of an imminent military threat, calling the idea “provocative speculation” that could lead to a conflict in the ex-Soviet country, according to a Russian readout of a call with French President Emmanuel Macron.