Russian President Vladimir Putin recognized two breakaway territories in eastern Ukraine as independent on Monday in a dramatic escalation of the crisis that Western leaders have warned is intended to prepare the ground for a Russian invasion of its western neighbor. In a televised address to the Russian nation on Monday evening, Putin announced his … Read more
MUNICH — With his country under threat of imminent attack by Russia, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy received a standing ovation at the annual Munich Security Conference on Saturday — and then bit the hands that applauded him in a scathing speech that slammed Western allies for not doing enough to punish Moscow and move his … Read more
Press play to listen to this article Western leaders on Saturday appealed to Vladimir Putin to not give up on diplomacy amid warnings that the Russian president has already decided to invade Ukraine. Speaking at the annual Munich Security Conference, European, US and NATO leaders insisted that a standoff over the Russian troops threatening Ukraine … Read more
Press play to listen to this article Whether or not Moscow launches an attack on Ukraine in the coming days, the West must gear up for years of heightened Russian pressure on the country and on Europe as a whole, Latvian Prime Minister Krišjānis Kariņš said Friday. In an interview with POLITICO, Kariņš said Russian … Read more
NATO said Tuesday it has not seen “any de-escalation on the ground” from Russian forces near Ukraine, despite earlier claims from Moscow that some troops taking part in military exercises were pulling back. “So far we have not seen any de-escalation on the ground, not any signs of reduced Russian military presence on the borders … Read more
Press play to listen to this article Russian President Vladimir Putin and his trusty foreign minister, Sergey Lavrov, signaled on Monday that there would be no imminent military strike on Ukraine and that they were prepared to continue diplomatic dialogue with the West, led by the United States. Coming after the US warned that a … Read more
Press play to listen to this article KYIV — German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskiy sought Monday to tamp down tension with Russia by suggesting that NATO membership for Ukraine was not on their agenda. At a press conference in Kyiv, Scholz and Zelenskiy played down the likelihood of Ukraine joining the … Read more
Press play to listen to this article BERLIN — Even before Washington warned that a Russian invasion of Ukraine could be imminent, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz was facing a daunting double mission to Kyiv and Moscow this week. In Ukraine on Monday, his main task is to pacify national leaders angry at Berlin’s refusal to … Read more
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
