Press play to listen to this article In their frenzied diplomatic effort to dissuade Russia from a new invasion of Ukraine, Western leaders are pinning renewed hope on the long-stuck Minsk peace accords. The Minsk agreements, first negotiated in 2014 and 2015, were intended to bring an end to the war with Russian-backed separatists, then … Read more
Press play to listen to this article To many of Germany’s allies, Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s refusal to state plainly what appears obvious — that Russia would lose a new gas pipeline to Germany if it invades Ukraine — is utterly baffling. Even some within his own governing coalition are flummoxed. “There is no reasonable explanation … Read more
Press play to listen to this article WARSAW — Poland is preparing for a massive influx of refugees if Russia attacks Ukraine. “We have to be prepared for the worst-case scenario and [we have] been taking steps so as to be prepared for a wave of up to a million people,” Deputy Interior Minister Maciej … Read more
Press play to listen to this article BERLIN — Chancellor Olaf Scholz is finding out the hard way that there’s a lot more to leading Germany than being an Angela Merkel tribute act. Scholz meets Joe Biden at the White House on Monday as part of a US trip intended to repair the battering that … Read more
Press play to listen to this article PARIS — French President Emmanuel Macron is taking an almighty gamble by styling himself as the world leader who can strike a peace deal with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in a meeting on Monday. If he pulls it off, he’ll be the hero who prevented the invasion … Read more
Press play to listen to this article Bowing to the reality that Ukraine won’t join NATO anytime soon, Kyiv is putting in place a collection of smaller security pacts with regional military powers, including Turkey and Poland, as well as the UK, as it seeks help facing down Russia now and in years ahead. The … Read more
Russian President Vladimir Putin says he is prepared to keep talking, and that he expects visits from European leaders to Moscow soon — after he gets back from the opening of the Winter Olympics on Friday in Beijing. The Biden administration is no longer saying an attack on Ukraine is “imminent.” But even as the … Read more
BERLIN — German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said he will “soon” travel to Moscow to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin amid what he called a “very serious” situation at the Ukrainian border. “I will now travel to the US, and I will soon be in Moscow to continue speaking about the questions that are necessary,” Scholz … Read more
LONDON — With troops gathering on the Russian-Ukraine border, Britain senses an opportunity to demonstrate it can be more diplomatically nimble since Brexit. After leaving the EU, the UK has deployed its so-called Magnitsky sanctions — which allow the government to stop targets from entering the country, channeling cash through British banks or profiting from … Read more