Ukraine-Russia news - live: US claims Putin ‘likely to fabricate’ attack as Macron to visit Kiev, Moscow

The United States has claimed to have discovered intelligence of a possible Moscow plot to fabricate a video purporting to show a Ukrainian military offensive, either on Russian soil or against Russian-speakers in Ukraine.

The US State Department said Washington feared Russia could use such a video as a false pretext to launch an invasion. UK foreign secretary Liz Truss claimed the US intelligence was “clear and shocking evidence of Russia's unprovoked aggression and underhand activity to destabilise Ukraine”.

It came after Nato chief raised concerns over Russia’s continuing military build-up around Ukraine, warning Moscow had likely moved some 30,000 troops and weaponry into neighbouring Belarus – which he said was the “biggest Russian deployment there since the Cold War”.

Amid the ongoing escalations, Vladimir Putin is visiting China for the Beijing Winter Olympic Games and to bolster ties with its ally, with the Russian president writing in an article for China’s Xinhua news agency that Moscow-Beijing relations had reached an “unprecedented level”.

Key Points

• US officials allege Moscow could fake pretext for invasion

• Russia calls US deployment of 3,000 troops to Europe a ‘destructive step’

• Nato chief warns of build-up of Russian troops in Belarus

• UK fighter jets scrambled to meet Russian bombers for second day in a row

• Putin accuses US of drawing Russia into war

PM Boris Johnson: ‘We stand shoulder to shoulder with Ukraine'

Wednesday 2 February 2022 12:56 , Holly Bancroft

Prime minister Boris Johnson has said that the UK stands “shoulder to shoulder with Ukraine” and said that it was “vital” to find a diplomatic solution to tensions with Russia.

Speaking in the House of Commons at PMQs, Mr Johnson referred to his visit to Kyiv saying: “The mission was for our country to show that we stand with the people of Ukraine and that we stand for the sovereign integrity of Ukraine at a very difficult time.

“The situation is very perilous and the job of the UK is to lead the West in bringing together the most important countries in creating a package of economic sanctions that will deter President Putin from what I believe will be a disastrous miscalculation.”

“We are supplying lethal but defensive weaponry as well as training.

“It is vital that diplomacy finds a way forward”.

Defence secretary Ben Wallace in Slovenia meeting allies

Wednesday 2 February 2022 13:15 , Holly Bancroft

Defence secretary Ben Wallace is on a tour of European allies amid rising tensions between Russia and Ukraine.

Mr Wallace hosted a press conference with Slovenia’s defence minister on Wednesday. Matej Tonin, Slovenia’s defence minister told Mr Wallace that “it’s better to have a bad peace than a good war”.

“It is of key importance that as Nato allies, we send a clear message to President Putin that the price of war is simply too high to pay,” Mr Tonin said.

Wednesday 2 February 2022 13:19 , Joe Middleton

We have a package of sanctions to ‘severely’ hurt Russia’s economy if it invades Ukraine - No10

Wednesday 2 February 2022 13:41 , Joe Middleton

Downing Street said it has a package of sanctions ready that will “severely” hurt Russia’s economy should Moscow order troops across the Ukrainian border.

The Prime Minister’s official spokesman told reporters: “We don’t preview what the sanctions package might be.

“I think the Prime Minister was very clear yesterday about the automaticity of our sanctions package that we have ready to go.

“It will severely damage the economy of Russia and, as the Foreign Secretary made clear, be targeted as well at the Russian elite, but beyond that I’m not going into it.”

The No 10 spokesman added: “We do have a package of sanctions ready - we’ve been working on that with our Nato allies, so we have both discussions with Nato allies and we have our own approach as well.

“So, we are ready to act but, vitally, it is important our strong preference remains that Vladimir Putin pursues diplomatic efforts.”

What the world media thinks of Boris Johnson

Wednesday 2 February 2022 14:08 , Holly Bancroft

Boris Johnson has been ridiculed by the international press after the publication of Sue Gray’s report into Downing Street parties.

Russian media have unsurprisingly criticised Mr Johnson, with the Gazprom Media-owned NTV channel suggesting he was the “most disliked, disrespected and ridiculed character in Britain”.

Read how the Russians and other media outlets around the world are talking about Boris Johnson here:

‘Even schoolchildren are laughing at him’: What the world thinks of Boris Johnson

Russia and China to discuss closer financial ties, Kremlin says

Wednesday 2 February 2022 14:19 , Holly Bancroft

Russia and China will discuss closer gas and financial ties during President Putin’s visit to Beijing for the Winter Olympics, the Kremlin has said.

Mr Putin and Chinese premier Xi Jingping will have lunch together on Friday and are expected to talk about new deals relating to natural gas.

As many as 15 agreements could be signed, Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov told reporters on Wednesday.

The Kremlin said that the possibility of Russia building a new gas pipeline to China through Mongolia was being looked at.

In light of threats of further sanctions on Russia from the UK and the US, the Kremlin said that Moscow and Beijing were making serious efforts to create joint financial infrastructure that could safeguard their co-operation from potential sanctions from third countries.

Breaking: US deploying 3,000 troops to Europe to bolster Nato and deter Russia

Wednesday 2 February 2022 14:27 , Holly Bancroft

President Joe Biden has reportedly directed Defence Department officials to deploy 2,000 US troops from Fort Bragg, North Carolina to positions in Poland and Germany, and to reposition a 1,000-person brigade quartered in Germany to Romania.

The troop movements — first reported by the Wall Street Journal — are meant to bolster Nato’s eastern flank and deter a possible invasion of Ukraine by Russian forces.

Read the full story here:

US deploying 3,000 troops to Europe to bolster Nato and deter Russia

Russia calls Boris Johnson ‘utterly confused’ and attacks ‘stupidity’ of Liz Truss before Putin talks

Wednesday 2 February 2022 14:40 , Holly Bancroft

Russia has said it will hold diplomatic talks with anyone - even the “utterly confused” - hours ahead of a planned call between Vladimir Putin and Boris Johnson.

Read the full story from my colleague Rory Sullivan here:

Russia calls Boris Johnson ‘confused’ and attacks ‘stupidity’ of Liz Truss

Putin and Johnson to speak on Wednesday evening

Wednesday 2 February 2022 14:51 , Holly Bancroft

Boris Johnson will hold a call with Vladimir Putin on Wednesday evening to discuss the growing tensions on the Ukrainian border, Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov has said.

The call comes after Russia called the UK “utterly confused” in its diplomatic efforts and referred to foreign secretary Liz Truss as “stupid”.

Mr Johnson travelled to Kyiv, Ukraine on Tuesday and used the visit to accuse Mr Putin of holding a gun to Ukraine’s head to secure his security demands.

US official: Troops being deployed to Eastern Europe

Wednesday 2 February 2022 15:09 , Holly Bancroft

A senior US administration official has confirmed to media that President Biden has approved the deployment of additional troops to Eastern Europe.

In a briefing to NBC and others, the official said: “At the president’s direction and following Secretary Austin’s recommendation, the Department of Defence will reposition certain Europe-based units further east, forward deploy additional US-based units to Europe, and maintain the heightened state of readiness of response forces to meet these commitments.

“These forces are not going to fight in Ukraine. They are not permanent moves. They respond to current conditions.”

Pentagon Press secretary confirms additonial forces to eastern Europe

Wednesday 2 February 2022 15:36 , Holly Bancroft

Pentagon Press secretary John Kirby has confirmed that the US will soon move additional troops to Romania, Poland and Germany.

Speaking to reporters in Washington, he said: “The current situation demands that we reinforce the deterrent and defensive posture on Nato’s eastern flank.

“I want to be very clear about something; these are not permanent moves... Moreover, these forces are not going to fight in Ukraine. They are going to ensure the robust defence of our Nato allies.”

Watch the clip of Mr Kirby speaking here:

Pentagon: Vladimir Putin adding forces “even over the last 24 hours” to add pressure to Ukraine crisis

Wednesday 2 February 2022 15:45 , Holly Bancroft

Pentagon press spokesperson John Kirby has said that Russian President Vladimir Putin “continues to add forces - combined arms, offensive capabilities even over just the last 24 hours”.

When asked by reporters why US troops are being moved to Eastern Europe, Mr Kirby said “we take our Nato commitments very very seriously”. He added: “In terms of why now, here’s just a couple of factors. Mr Putin continues to add forces - combined arms, offensive capabilities even over just the last 24 hours he continues to add in western Russia, in Belarus and in the Mediterranean and the north Atlantic.

“He has shown no signs of being interested on willing to de-escalate the tensions.”

Watch here:

Red Cross warning over living conditions in eastern Ukraine

Wednesday 2 February 2022 16:05 , Holly Bancroft

Hundreds of thousands of people in eastern Ukraine are living in dire conditions with poor access to basic services, the Red Cross has said.

Ukrainians in the region are under constant threat from shelling and landmines, the aid organisation said.

They warned that, with media attention focused on the massing of Russian troops on Ukraine’s border, there is a serious risk of ignoring the ongoing plight of people stuck in the crossfire between Kyiv forces and Russian-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine.

“Hundreds of thousands of people have been affected and continue to be affected by this conflict, and I think that is something that is too often overlooked somehow in the current situation,” Martin Schuepp, Red Cross regional director for Europe and Central Asia, told Reuters.

Read the full piece here:

Red Cross warns of dire conditions in east Ukraine amid Russia tensions

Ukraine expert and former National Security Official Alexander Vindman sues Trump Jr

Wednesday 2 February 2022 16:12 , Holly Bancroft

Retired Army Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Vindman has filed a lawsuit against Donald Trump Jr, ex-New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, and two former Trump White House officials for allegedly targeting him after he testified during Donald Trump’s impeachment trial.

Colonel Vindman was on Donald Trump’s infamous call with Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky, in which Mr Trump tried to pressure the president to announce an investigation into Joe Biden and his son.

Read the full story here:

Vindman sues Trump Jr, Giuliani and ex-Trump White House officials

Wednesday 2 February 2022 16:38 , Joe Middleton

RAF confirms scrambled Typhoons were to intercept Russian ‘Bear’ bombers amid Ukraine tensions

Wednesday 2 February 2022 16:58 , Joe Middleton

Royal Air Force typhoon fighter jets have been scrambled to intercept four Russian Bear aircraft, the air force has said, amid heightened tensions between Moscow and Ukraine.

Jets were launched from RAF Lossiemouth in Moray, Scotland, against unidentified aircraft approaching the UK area of interest, the RAF said. They were joined by a Voyager air-to-air refuelling tanker from RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire.

“Subsequently we intercepted and escorted four Russian Bear aircraft,” a spokesperson said.

At no time did the Russian aircraft – two Tu-95 Bear H and two Tu-142 Bear F bombers – enter UK airspace, according to the RAF.

Andy Gregory reports.

RAF confirms response to four Russian military planes approaching UK

Red Cross warns of dire conditions in east Ukraine amid Russia tensions

Wednesday 2 February 2022 17:25 , Joe Middleton

Hundreds of thousands of people in eastern Ukraine are living in dire conditions, with poor access to basic services and under constant threat from shelling and landmines, the Red Cross has warned, amid escalating tensions between Kiev and Moscow.

With countries heavily focused just now on the massing of Russian troops along Ukraine’s borders, there is a serious risk of them ignoring the ongoing plight of people stuck since 2014 in the crossfire between Kiev’s forces and Russian-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine, it said.

Low-level hostilities persist despite frequent ceasefires, sometimes resulting in civilian injuries or damage to essential infrastructure such as water pumping stations, said a senior official of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).

Stephanie Nebehay has the details.

Red Cross warns of dire conditions in east Ukraine amid Russia tensions

Wladimir Klitschko enlists in Ukraine‘s reserve army

Wednesday 2 February 2022 17:46 , Joe Middleton

Former heavyweight boxing champion Wladimir Klitschko enlisted in Ukraine‘s reserve army in Kiev on Wednesday.

Both Wladimir and his brother Vitali Klitschko, the Mayor of Kyiv and also a former heavyweight boxing champion, were present during the opening of a Territorial Defence Forces recruitment centre in the capital.

“One district from here, my little girl is going to school. The school is currently closed because the ambassadors have sent the families home,” Wladimir Klitschko said, referring to a partial drawdown by some embassies.

“It is the love, the love for my city, my home, my family, my neighbours, my daughter that has brought me here today, that I took this initiative and am now taking part in this territorial defence.”

A diplomatic solution to the conflict with Russia is preferred, according to his brother, Mayor Klitschko. “If not, we have to prepare to take weapons in our hands, and defend the country,” he added.

Psaki calls Josh Hawley un-American for his call to block Ukraine from Nato membership

Wednesday 2 February 2022 18:03 , Joe Middleton

White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki on Wednesday slammed Missouri senator Josh Hawley’s call for the US to retract support for Ukraine becoming a signatory of the North Atlantic Treaty as “not aligned with long standing bipartisan American values” and the result of the senator “parroting Russian talking points”.

Andrew Feinberg reports.

Psaki calls Josh Hawley un-American for his call to block Ukraine from Nato

Johnson warns Putin that Ukraine incursion would be ‘tragic miscalculation’

Wednesday 2 February 2022 18:10 , Joe Middleton

Boris Johnson today warned Vladimir Putin that a further incursion into Ukraine would be a “tragic miscalculation” as they shared a delayed call on Wednesday.

A Downing Street spokeswoman said: “The Prime Minister expressed his deep concern about Russia’s current hostile activity on the Ukrainian border. He emphasised the need to find a way forward which respects both Ukraine’s territorial integrity and right to self-defence.

“The Prime Minister stressed that any further Russian incursion into Ukrainian territory would be a tragic miscalculation.

“The Prime Minister underscored that, under Nato’s open door policy, all European democracies have a right to aspire to Nato membership. This right fully applies to Ukraine. He also reiterated that Nato is a defensive alliance.

“The leaders agreed that aggravation was in no-one’s interest. The Prime Minister stressed the importance of dialogue and diplomacy, and the need to include Ukraine in talks.”

Macron set to discuss Ukraine crisis with Biden

Wednesday 2 February 2022 18:45 , Joe Middleton

Emmanuel Macron said on Wednesday he will discuss the Ukraine crisis with US President Joe Biden over the phone in the coming hours, adding the priority was to find a way for the crisis to de-escalate.

The French President made the comments as he arrived for an informal meeting of EU interior ministers in Tourcoing in northern France.

Wednesday 2 February 2022 19:12 , Joe Middleton

Johnson warns Putin any Ukraine invasion would be ‘tragic miscalculation’ amid increased tensions

Wednesday 2 February 2022 19:31 , Joe Middleton

Boris Johnson has warned Russian president Vladimir Putin any invasion of Ukraine would be a “tragic miscalculation”, amid heightened tensions between Moscow and London.

In a call with Mr Putin — delayed due to the prime minister’s domestic troubles — No 10 said Mr Johnson expressed his “deep concern” over “hostile activity” against Ukraine, with as many as 100,000 Russian troops estimated to be amassing on the country’s border.

It came just hours after Royal Air Force typhoon fighter jets were scrambled to intercept “unidentified aircraft” — later identified as four Russian Bear planes — approaching a UK “area of interest”, according to an RAF spokesperson.

Ashley Cowburn reports.

Johnson warns Putin any invasion of Ukraine would be ‘tragic miscalculation’

NATO Secretary-General welcomes US troop deployment to eastern Europe

Wednesday 2 February 2022 19:45 , Joe Middleton

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg on Wednesday welcomed the US decision to deploy additional forces to Germany, Poland and Romania amid heightened tensions with Russia about Mocow’s military build-up on Ukraine‘s borders.

“This is a powerful signal of U.S. commitment, and comes on top of other recent U.S. contributions to our shared security. including 8,500 troops at high readiness for the NATO Response Force, and the USS Harry S. Truman carrier strike group under NATO command in the Mediterranean,” Stoltenberg said in a statement.

“Our deployments are defensive and proportional, and send the clear message that NATO will do whatever is necessary to protect and defend all Allies,” he added.

Wednesday 2 February 2022 20:25 , Joe Middleton

Tory MP warns against Army Reserve cuts amid Ukraine crisis

Wednesday 2 February 2022 20:46 , Joe Middleton

A Conservative MP has warned against cuts to the Army Reserve at a time when reservists are central to the “darkening military picture in Ukraine“.

Richard Bacon told the Commons he is worried about a gap between the “laudable” aims of ministers and what is actually planned for the Reserve.

The MP for South Norfolk said: “I’m concerned that there is a yawning gap opening up, a gap between the laudable ambitions of ministers in the Ministry of Defence, and what is actually proposed for the Reserve.

“Ironically, this debate takes place at a time when large numbers of reservists on both sides are central to the darkening military picture in Ukraine.”

Mr Bacon said he is concerned that at a time when the regular Army is reduced, again, “it seems extraordinary that we are cutting the Army Reserve, too”, adding: “Could my honourable friend confirm that the Ministry of Defence plans to cut the establishment of the Army Reserve from 30,100 trained and a further 3,000 on Phase One training to 27,100 trained with a further 3,000 on Phase One training? A cut of around 10%?”

Intervening during the debate, Conservative former minister Mark Francois said that given there are 125,000 Russian troops in Ukraine, “we should never under any circumstances take our reserves for granted”.

US moves more troops to Europe as Russian lawmaker calls deployment ‘an absolutely destructive step’

Wednesday 2 February 2022 21:46 , Joe Middleton

In case you missed it

President Joe Biden has reportedly directed Defence Department officials to deploy 2,000 UStroops from Fort Bragg, North Carolina to positions in Poland and Germany, and to reposition a 1,000-person brigade quartered in Germany to Romania.

The troop movements – first reported by The Wall Street Journal – are meant to bolster Nato’s eastern flank and deter a possible invasion of Ukraine by Russian forces.

Last week, Mr Biden also gave roughly 8,500 soldiers orders to make ready for possibly deployment to reinforce Nato allies.

US moves more troops to Europe as Russian lawmaker calls deployment ‘destructive’

Wednesday 2 February 2022 22:46 , Joe Middleton

Red Cross warns of dire conditions in east Ukraine amid Russia tensions

Wednesday 2 February 2022 23:45 , Joe Middleton

Hundreds of thousands of people in eastern Ukraine are living in dire conditions, with poor access to basic services and under constant threat from shelling and landmines, the Red Cross has warned, amid escalating tensions between Kiev and Moscow.

With countries heavily focused just now on the massing of Russian troops along Ukraine’s borders, there is a serious risk of them ignoring the ongoing plight of people stuck since 2014 in the crossfire between Kiev’s forces and Russian-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine, it said.

Low-level hostilities persist despite frequent ceasefires, sometimes resulting in civilian injuries or damage to essential infrastructure such as water pumping stations, said a senior official of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).

Red Cross warns of dire conditions in east Ukraine amid Russia tensions

Wednesday 2 February 2022 23:59 , Joe Middleton

France to move ahead with plans to send troops to Romania

Thursday 3 February 2022 03:39 , Shweta Sharma

After the US pledged extra troops deployment to Poland, Germany, and Romania, France on Thursday will aim to refine plans to send troops to Romania, which has a 600-km border with Ukraine.

The French troop deployment will be part of the future Nato mission to give further reassurance to the Black Sea as Romania fears spillover threat from the Ukraine-Russia crisis.

France’s foreign minister Jean-Yves Le Drian will hold talks in Bucharest on Thursday with nine ministers from Eastern Europe and the Baltic states, including Poland, the Czech Republic, and Estonia, to discuss the spiraling situation.

“France is ready to commit to new Nato reassurance measures for Romania,” Le Drian said, speaking alongside his Romanian counterpart Bogdan Aurescu. “We are proud to stand with you when the security situation is worsening at your borders, which are also our borders.”

Biden and allies hunt surplus natural gas to fuel Europe in event of war

Thursday 3 February 2022 04:06 , Shweta Sharma

The US and its European allies are searching for surplus natural gas across the globe, including China, to be sent to Europe in the event of war between Ukraine and Russia, sources told Bloomberg.

The Biden administration is reportedly in talks with China that are yet to result in any agreement, two unnamed people familiar with the development said.

European officials have also reached out to their counterparts in Japan, South Korea and India about diverting supplies of gas to Europe, the report said.

Global natural gas is different from oil with little spare capacity. So far no producer has confirmed to provide gas as more extractions are difficult at short notice.

The concern arises from the fact that Europe is dependent on Russia for about 40 per cent of its fuel supplies.

Biden and Macron agree on ‘swift and severe’ sanctions in event of invasion

Thursday 3 February 2022 04:23 , Shweta Sharma

In a phone call to discuss the unfolding Ukraine-Russia crisis, US president Joe Biden and French president Emmanuel Macron affirmed their support for Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.

The White House said that the two leaders reviewed coordination both diplomacy and preparations to “impose swift and severe economic costs on Russia” should it further invade Ukraine.

“President Biden and President Macron agreed their teams will stay in close touch, including in consultation with Nato Allies and EU partners, on our coordinated and comprehensive approach to managing these issues,” the statement added.

Satellite images show Russia’s massive troop build up around Ukraine

Thursday 3 February 2022 04:58 , Shweta Sharma

New satellite images have revealed the extent of expansion by the Russian military around Ukraine with equipments, military troop tents, armoured vehicles strewn across a huge area.

The imagery was collected and analysed by Maxar on 1 February, noting that deployments “reflect an increased level of activity and readiness”.

The existing expansion of Russian military training grounds and garrisons are within some 150 miles of the Ukrainian border and some within a few miles of the border.

“During the past couple of weeks, several new significant military deployments have been observed in Belarus,” Maxar said.

“Also, troop tents/shelters for personnel have been seen at virtually every deployment location in Belarus, Crimea and western Russia, which suggests that the units are now accompanied with troops and have increased their overall readiness level.”

The images showed deployment of weapons across Ukraine’s border in Belarus. It showed deployment of Iskander short-range ballistic missile systems, as well as local training exercises at multiple sites.

There were also new signs of live-fire exercises as numerous new craters from artillery fire stood out in the snow-covered landscape at the Persianovsky training area in western Russia.

Putin hails ‘unprecedented’ Russia’s relationship with China in editorial

Thursday 3 February 2022 05:48 , Shweta Sharma

Relationship between Russia and China has reached an “unprecedented level”, becoming a model of efficiency, responsibility, and aspiration for the future, Vladimir Putin said in an article published in China’s Xinhua news agency.

The article republished on the Russian president’s official website, Kremlin, came just hours ahead of Putin’s visit to China to meet Xi Jinping for the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympic Games on 4 February.

The Russian president said he was “pleased to address directly the large Chinese and foreign audience of Xinhua, the world’s largest news agency.”

He said he will “thoroughly discuss key issues on the bilateral, regional, and global agendas” with China and said it is symbolic that the meeting is taking place during the Spring Festival – the Chinese Lunar New Year.

“At the end of 2021, the volume of mutual trade increased by more than a third, exceeding the record level of 140 billion US dollars. We are well on the way towards our goal of increasing the volume of trade to 200 billion US dollars a year,” he said.

He said large-scale joint projects are planned for energy alliance and revealed plans to partner in sectors of communication technologies, medicine, space exploration, including the use of national navigation systems and the International Lunar Research Station project.

He also took an indirect jibe at the US and other countries who called for a boycott of the Games, saying “politicise sports to the benefit of their ambitions have recently intensified”.

“This is fundamentally wrong and contrary to the very spirit and principles of the Olympic Charter,” he said.

Turkish president to visit Ukraine to act as mediator

Thursday 3 February 2022 06:40 , Shweta Sharma

Turkey’s president Tayyip Erdogan will fly out to Kiev on Thursday to meet Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky after pitching Ankara as the mediator between Ukraine and Vladimir Putin.

Ukraine and Turkey are expected to sign a free-trade agreement during the meeting as Erdogan faces the challenge of a balancing act to show diplomatic support to Ukraine while not hurting his relationship with Moscow.

A Turkish official told Reuters that Ankara expects tensions to ease after the meeting in Kyiv.

A separate Turkish official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that the president will call on both sides to exercise restraint, and added Ankara wanted to continue its cooperation with both of the “very important” countries.

Turkey’s “approach is not picking one side or standing against one country in the tensions,” the official said. “With Erdogan’s initiative and with some of the messages he will convey, we expect tensions to ease.”

Russia calls tensions with Ukraine as ‘internal crisis’

Thursday 3 February 2022 07:08 , Shweta Sharma

In a tweet shared by Russia’s foreign ministry, Russia said Vladimir Putin and UK prime minister Boris Johnson held details exchange of views on “internal crisis in Ukraine”.

The reference to the ongoing conflict which has embroiled western allies of Kyiv has sparked a wave of reaction of social media.

“There is no “internal crisis in Ukraine”. There is ongoing hybrid war waged by Russia against Ukraine since 2014,” a user said.

Russia calls Boris Johnson ‘utterly confused’

Thursday 3 February 2022 07:45 , Shweta Sharma

Russia has said it will hold diplomatic talks with anyone - even the “utterly confused” - hours ahead of a planned call between Vladimir Putin and Boris Johnson.

The Kremlin turned its rhetorical fire on Johnson, who cancelled a phone call with Putin on Monday to answer questions in the British parliament about the continuing ‘partygate’ scandal.

Russia’s foreign ministry went even further with the insults, mocking Foreign Secretary Liz Truss for saying Britain was sending supplies to its “Baltic allies across the Black Sea” - two bodies of water that are on opposite sides of Europe.

Read Rory Sullivan’s full report.

Russia calls Boris Johnson ‘confused’ and attacks ‘stupidity’ of Liz Truss

Russia responds to US military move as ‘destructive step’

Thursday 3 February 2022 07:54 , Shweta Sharma

Russia’s deputy foreign minister has called the US decision to deploy more than 3,000 American troops in Germany, Poland, and Romania as a “destructive step” that would make it difficult to reach a compromise over Ukraine.

Alexander Grushko said the move would “increase military tension and reduce scope for political decision” while delighting Ukrainian authorities.

He said Ukraine would continue to sabotage the Minsk agreement “with impunity” – an agreement designed to reach a political settlement in the east of Ukraine.

Ukraine defence minister warns against ‘provocation’ from Belarus

Thursday 3 February 2022 08:24 , Shweta Sharma

Ukraine defence minister has said they do not expect any provocations from Belarus and hope that the Russian troop deployment by the country is temporary, amid reports of satellite images showing large-scale development of military bases on Ukraine’s borders with Belarus and Crimea.

Oleksii Reznikov said Russia has amassed 115,000 troops near Ukrainian borders.

His comments came during a meeting with Turkish president Tayyip Erdogan on Thursday.

In a briefing he said Ukraine and Turkey will sign a framework agreement on manufacturing Turkish drones in Ukraine.

Amid tensions with Russia, Mr Reznikov also said the number of ceasefire violations in the conflict in eastern Ukraine had decreased and there had been no combat losses for the past three weeks.

He said he sees no preparations for a Russian strike force in Russia-controlled Crimea.

Foreign Office minister backs Boris Johson amid Ukraine crisis

Thursday 3 February 2022 09:00 , Shweta Sharma

Foreign Office minister James Cleverly put his weight behind British prime minister Boris Johnson and warned against “internal disagreement” in the party.

“When you have got a situation like that it’s not smart to self-impose an internal disagreement in the party of government, a protracted leadership campaign, which is what we would be doing,” Mr Cleverly told Times Radio.

“But the reason we should support the Prime Minister - and I’ve worked with him for over a decade - is he has got a track record of delivery.”

Mr Cleverly explained that Mr Johnson has a record in securing the UK’s exit from the European Union and achieving a landslide election win for the Tories.

“This is his record in Government, this is why I’m supporting him and this is why we should stay focused on what people gave us that 80-seat majority to do, which is to level up, protect the country, protect jobs, protect the economy, and that’s what we are doing.”

Russian defence minister in Belarus ahead of drills

Thursday 3 February 2022 09:08 , Shweta Sharma

Russian defence minister Sergei Shoigu reached Belarus on Thursday to closely watch the Russian and Belarusian troops movement as the two are slated for joint drills this month, the Interfax news agency reported.

Mr Shoigu will also meet Belarusian president Alexander Lukashenko.

The visit comes as Russia has deployed an undisclosed number of troops and military hardware to Belarus, for joint drills.

The military exercise will take place between 10-20 February and troops are expected to be withdrawn after the drills.

Russia moved some 30,000 combat troops, modern weapons to Belarus, NATO says

Thursday 3 February 2022 09:40 , Shweta Sharma

Russia has sent some 30,000 combat troops and modern weapons to Belarus in last few days, in Moscow’s biggest military deployment in the country after the end of Cold War, Nato said.

Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said in Brussels that the deployment includes SU-35 fighter jets, dual capable Iskander missiles, S-400 air defence systems, and Speznaz special operations forces.

The dual-capable weapons are meant for conventional and nuclear warfare.

“So, we speak about a wide range of modern military capabilities. All this will be combined with Russia’s annual nuclear forces exercise, expected to take place this month,” Stoltenberg said.He called on Russia to “de-escalate,” and reiterated warnings from the West that “any further Russian aggression would have severe consequences and carry a heavy price.”

This comes as military movements are being closely watched by the West as Russia has moved thousands of troops on its border with Ukraine.

Russia and Belarus are set to hold drills between 10-20 February and Ukraine expects the withdrawal of mass deployment after the completion of exercises.

US says Russia is trying to turn reality upside down

Thursday 3 February 2022 10:08 , Shweta Sharma

US State Department spokesperson Ned Price rebuffed Moscow’s assertion that Washington is fanning the flames of tensions between Russia and Ukraine by seeding troops to Europe.

He said Russia is attempting to turn “reality upside down”.

“These are not permanent moves; they are precisely in response to the current security environment in light of this increasingly threatening behaviour by the Russian Federation,” Mr Price told reporters.

He called the deployments “deterrent and defensive measures”.

Ukraine agrees to shift venue of peace talks to Turkey if Russia agrees

Thursday 3 February 2022 10:10 , Shweta Sharma

Amid talks with Turkish president, Oleksii Reznikov said Ukraine can shift the venue for peace talks to Turkey following the suggestion from Tayyip Erdogan, who has offered to act as a mediator.

The Ukrainian defence minister said ceasefire talks can take place in Turkey if Russia agrees on the proposal.

The de-escalation talks have mainly been held in the Belarusian capital of Minsk. However, Belarus has forged closer ties with Russia in recent months.

Putin visits China to bolster ties amid Ukraine tensions

Thursday 3 February 2022 10:30 , Shweta Sharma

Amid ongoing soaring tensions with Ukraine, Russian president Vladimir Putin is heading to China to join Xi Jinping to open Winter Olympics Games and coordinate their policies in the face of Western pressure.

Mr Putin’s talks with Chinese president on Friday will mark their first in-person meeting since 2019.

Following the talks involving top officials from both sides, Mr Putin and Mr Xi will meet one-on-one over lunch before attending the opening of the Winter Olympics.

In his article ahead of his visit to Beijing, Mr Putin said Beijing plays an “important stabilizing role” in global affairs and help make international affairs “more equitable and inclusive.”

White House no longer referring to potential Russian invasion as ‘imminent'

Thursday 3 February 2022 10:44 , Shweta Sharma

White House press secretary Jen Psaki said that the US will no longer describe potential Russian invasion of Ukraine as “imminent,” suggesting that it sent an unintending message.

“I used that once. I think others have used that once. And then we stopped using it because I think it sent a message that we weren’t intending to send, which was that we knew (Russian) President (Vladimir) Putin had made a decision,” Ms Psaki said.

“I would say the vast majority of times I’ve talked about it we said he could invade at any time. That’s true. We still don’t know that he’s made a decision,” she added.

The change of stance came after contention appeared to emerge between president Hoe Biden and Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky during their conversation.

“We don’t have any misunderstanding with the president, but I just deeply understand what is going on in my country, just as he understands what is going on in his country,” Mr Zelensky said of Mr Biden.

“We have to be very careful in how we speak out every day, every minute, when we are trying to say the war will happen tomorrow,” Mr Zelensky said.

“We are getting ready for any scenario and we have several,” he said.

Russia boosts military deployment to Belarus ahead of joint drills

Thursday 3 February 2022 11:20 , Matt Mathers

Russia is building up its “biggest deployment” of troops in Belarus since the Cold War amid rising tensions about a potential invasion of Ukraine, Nato has claimed.

My colleague Holly Bancroft reports:

Russia boosts military deployment to Belarus ahead of joint drills

Biden and Macron review coordinated response

Thursday 3 February 2022 11:35 , Matt Mathers

US President Joe Biden and French President Emmanuel Macron reviewed during a call on Wednesday the coordination of diplomatic efforts and plans to impose economic costs on Moscow should it invade Ukraine, the White House said.

“President Biden and President Macron agreed their teams will stay in close touch, including in consultation with NATO Allies and EU partners, on our coordinated and comprehensive approach to managing these issues,” it said in a readout.

France pledges to support Romania

Thursday 3 February 2022 11:50 , Matt Mathers

France will on Thursday aim to refine plans to send troops to Romania as part of a future NATO mission as it seeks to give further reassurance to the Black Sea nation amid tensions with Russia.

Romania has sought to address its own security concerns after Russia massed tens of thousands of troops near Ukraine’s borders. It has prompted fears of a conflict that could spill over into Romania, which has a 600-kilometre (370-mile) border with Ukraine.

The United States said on Wednesday it would send nearly 3,000 extra troops to Poland and Romania to reinforce Eastern European NATO allies in the face of what Washington describes as a Russian threat to invade Ukraine.

Putin trying to ‘bully’ the West

Thursday 3 February 2022 12:05 , Matt Mathers

Russian President Vladimir Putin is attempting to bully the West by amassing troops on the border with Ukraine, a former defence chief has said.

Lord Dannat, former head of the military’s general staff, made the comments in an interview with Sky News on Thursday.

He also warned Putin “it would be very risky” for him to press ahead with invading Ukraine. More below:

Turkey seeking to play mediator in Ukraine crisis

Thursday 3 February 2022 12:20 , Matt Mathers

President Tayyip Erdogan is set to visit his counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky in Ukraine on Thursday after pitching Turkey as a mediator to ease tensions with Russia, and an official said he was not picking any sides in the crisis.

The Turkish official told Reuters that Ankara expects tensions to ease after the meeting in Kyiv. On Wednesday, Ankara and Kyiv said they would sign a free trade agreement and other deals.

Russia has denied any plans of invading Ukraine amid concern by many Western nations over its build up of more than 100,000 troops near the border, but has demanded sweeping security guarantees from the West.

Erdogan’s trip comes after visits by leaders of NATO members Britain, Poland, and the Netherlands to Kyiv amid the standoff. Turkey has good ties with Kyiv and Moscow but has said it would do what is necessary as a NATO member if Russia invades.

Ankara offered in November to help ease building tensions, and last month Turkish diplomatic sources said both Russia and Ukraine were open to the idea.

A separate Turkish official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Erdogan will call on both sides to exercise restraint, and added Ankara wanted to continue its cooperation with both of the "very important" countries.

Russia wants to be seen as ‘powerful force’ on world stage

Thursday 3 February 2022 12:35 , Matt Mathers

Russia wants to be seen as a “powerful force” on the world stage, a Foreign Office minister has said as he gave his take on why Moscow has amassed some 100,000 troops on its border with Ukraine.

James Cleverly told LBC he finds it difficult to “credibly assess what [Putin’s] motivations are” but that Russia’s aggression towards its neighbour is “counterproductive”.

“I think Russia is very keen to be seen as a powerful force on the world stage, and the point that I think he needs to understand is that actually these provocative military actions are not the best way of Russia being seen as a relevant - as a serious - player,” he said.

Russian defence minister in Belarus to inspect troop preparations

Thursday 3 February 2022 12:50 , Matt Mathers

Russian defence minister Sergei Shoigu arrived in Belarus on Thursday to inspect Russian and Belarusian troops’ preparations for joint drills this month, the Interfax news agency reported, amid a tense standoff with the West over neighbouring Ukraine.

Shoigu will also meet Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, Interfax quoted the ministry as saying.

Moscow’s military moves are being closely watched by the West at a time when a build-up of Russian troops near the border with Ukraine has sparked fears of an invasion.

Russia has moved an undisclosed number of troops and military hardware to Belarus, which also borders Ukraine, for the Feb. 10-20 joint drills, saying it will withdraw them afterwards.

Moscow has denied it plans to launch an attack on Ukraine, while also demanding guarantees from the United States and NATO that Kyiv would not be allowed to join the military alliance.

Russia sends 30,000 troops and weapons to Belarus

Thursday 3 February 2022 13:05 , Matt Mathers

Russia has been moving some 30,000 combat troops and modern weapons to Belarus over the last days, Moscow’s biggest military deployment to the country since the end of the Cold War, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said on Thursday.

The deployment included Speznaz special operations forces, SU-35 fighter jets, dual capable Iskander missiles and S-400 air defence systems, he told reporters in Brussels.

“All this will be combined with Russia’s annual nuclear forces exercise,” he added.

The term dual capable, which Stoltenberg used for the Iskander missiles, is used to describe weapons meant for conventional and nuclear warfare.

UK MP: Government should ‘weaponise’ financial system against Russia

Thursday 3 February 2022 13:30 , Matt Mathers

The UK should "weaponise" its financial system if Russia uses its natural gas reserves to destabilise western nations, ministers have heard.

Conservative MP Kevin Hollinrake (Thirsk and Malton) told MPs: "It is clear one factor in this crisis is Russia’s willingness to weaponize its gas supplies.

"Will he (Rishi Sunak) confirm if there is any incursion into Ukraine that this country and other countries will look at weaponising our banking system which would be economically catastrophic for Russia should they do that?"

Chancellor Mr Sunak said: "I can reassure him that with regard to sanctions on Russia absolutely nothing is off the table. We are working very closely with our international partners, as the Foreign Secretary has outlined, to prepare a very robust package of sanctions."

ICYMI: Red Cross warns of dire conditions in east Ukraine amid Russia tensions

Thursday 3 February 2022 13:45 , Matt Mathers

Hundreds of thousands of people in eastern Ukraine are living in dire conditions, with poor access to basic services and under constant threat from shelling and landmines, the Red Cross has warned, amid escalating tensions between Kiev and Moscow.

Stephanie Nebehay reports:

Red Cross warns of dire conditions in east Ukraine amid Russia tensions

EU working on joint response to crisis

Thursday 3 February 2022 14:00 , Matt Mathers

The European Union is working on a joint response to the letter which many of its member countries received from Russia earlier this week asking for security guarantees, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Thursday.

“We are working on the coordination of the response... We are united in the European Union and therefore it is clear that the response will mirror, will reflect that unity,” she told reporters on a visit in Helsinki.

Macron raises possibility of three-way Poland, Germany, France meeting on Ukraine

Thursday 3 February 2022 14:15 , Matt Mathers

French President Emmanuel Macron’s office said in a statement on Thursday that he and Polish President Andrzej Duda had discussed the possibility of a three-way meeting between Poland, Germany, and France in Berlin in coming days to discuss the situation in Ukraine.

He also said Duda offered support to Macron’s efforts to de-escalate tensions in Ukraine.

Russia defence chief oversees war games in Belarus

Thursday 3 February 2022 14:30 , Matt Mathers

Russian defence Minister Sergei Shoigu reviewed live-fire exercises in western Belarus on Thursday, part of a surge of military activity close to Ukraine.

Russia, in its biggest deployment to Belarus since the Cold War ended, is expected to have 30,000 troops as well as fighter jets and missile systems for the joint exercises that run until Feb. 20, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said.

The presence of a large Russian force in Belarus has added to western fears that Russia could be preparing to attack Ukraine on multiple fronts. Moscow denies any such intention and says the exercises are defensive in nature.

Ukraine said Russia currently has a total of 115,000 troops near its borders.

The Belarusian defence Minister released images from Thursday’s exercises showing troops parachuting to the ground, fighter jets in the sky, soldiers dismounting from a helicopter holding weapons, and tanks firing and manoeuvring.

Shoigu, a close ally of President Vladimir Putin, was pictured looking on with the Belarusian defence minister and other military officials at the Brest military facility in the west of Belarus.

Germany must reassess policy towards Russia and China- ruling party chief

Thursday 3 February 2022 14:45 , Matt Mathers

Germany should reassess its long-held strategy of seeking to bring about change in authoritarian societies through rapprochement given developments in Russia and China, the co-head of the ruling Social Democrats (SPD) said in an interview.

Lars Klingbeil’s comments reflect soul-searching in the SPD, which historically has sought closer engagement with Russia, over the right approach towards the Kremlin amid fears of a fresh Russian attack on Ukraine.

Some analysts say the soft stance of many in the party on Russia is holding Chancellor Olaf Scholz back from taking a stronger position. Klingbeil denies that, stressing that everything is on the table in case of an attack.

Scholz is in the unusual situation of being head of a three-way coalition but not of his own party.

Moscow shuts down German broadcaster's Russian operations in retaliatory move

Thursday 3 February 2022 15:00 , Matt Mathers

Russia said on Thursday it was shutting down the operations of German broadcaster Deutsche Welle in Moscow and stripping its staff of their accreditation in a retaliatory move after Berlin banned Russian broadcaster RT DE.

Moscow said it would stop the German channel being broadcast in Russia and start proceedings that would see it declared a "foreign agent," a designation that carries a negative Soviet-era connotation.

The Russian foreign ministry said it would also bar entry to Russia for German officials involved in the move to ban RT DE.

The row comes amid wider tensions with the West over Ukraine that are an early test of political relations between Berlin and Moscow after German Chancellor Olaf Scholz took office in December.

The Kremlin said earlier on Thursday that a trip by Scholz to Moscow was on the agenda, but that a date was not yet confirmed.

UK PM: I’ve been ‘way out in front’ in supporting Ukraine

Thursday 3 February 2022 15:15 , Matt Mathers

The prime minister said the UK had been "way out in front" in backing the Ukraine, which is under threat from invasion by Russia.

Boris Johnson, speaking on a visit to Blackpool, Lancashire, said: "The UK has played a very good role so far in bringing together the West and making sure that our partners understand the severity of the threat that Ukrainians face.

"And if you look at what we’ve been doing for the last two or three months, the UK has been way out in front in making sure that people respond.

"So we’ve been putting together the right package of economic sanctions, it’s got to be tough enough and we’ve got to make sure that people understand it’s got to be automatic so that, there’s no sort of argument when, if and when there is a Russian invasion that those sanctions come in automatically.

"As you know, we’ve changed the law so that the UK will apply sanctions both personally but also on any country of strategic Russian interest.

"Number two, the UK has been out in front in supporting the Ukrainians through the contribution of lethal defensive weaponry and we’re one of a handful of countries to do that, along with the United States and Lithuania and that’s something greatly appreciated by Ukraine, helps to fortify their defence.

"But I think where the UK has possibly been most useful of all is just trying to get over to the world what a tragedy it would be if such an invasion were to take place and a tragedy for Russia as well."

NATO troops and possible reinforcements in Eastern Europe, Baltics

Thursday 3 February 2022 15:30 , Matt Mathers

The United States has announced plans to send nearly 3,000 extra troops to Poland and Romania to shield NATO allies in Eastern Europe from a potential spillover of the crisis over the massing of Russian troops near Ukraine.

The new plan goes above and beyond the 8,500 troops the Pentagon put on alert last month to deploy to Europe if needed. NATO defence ministers are expected to discuss further reinforcements at their next meeting on 16 Feb.

The following are current western nations’ military deployments in eastern NATO member states, some national assets and reinforcements that have been announced or are being considered.

POLAND:

- Around 4,500 U.S. troops are in Poland in both a NATO and a bilateral capacity, mostly stationed in the west of the country.

- In a deal signed with Poland in 2020, the United States promised to increase its troop presence by approximately 1,000, although implementation has remained under discussion.

- A NATO Enhanced Forward Presence (EFP) multinational battlegroup of 1,000 troops, led by the United States and including troops from Croatia, Romania and the United Kingdom.

- Around 1,700 U.S. service members, mainly from the 82nd Airborne Division, will deploy from Fort Bragg, North Carolina, to Poland, under the U.S. plans announced on Feb.2 .

ESTONIA:

- A NATO Enhanced Forward Presence (EFP) battlegroup of 900 since 2017. Led by the United Kingdom, includes troops from France, Denmark and Iceland. One armoured infantry battalion, self-propelled artillery, air defence.

- NATO Baltic Air Policing: 4x F-16 fighter jets from Belgium. Additional deployment, from Jan. 26 until the end of this week: 6x F-15 fighter jets from the United States

LATVIA:

- A NATO Enhanced Forward Presence (EFP) battlegroup of 1,500 since 2017. Led by Canada, includes troops from Albania, the Czech Republic, Iceland, Italy, Montenegro, Poland, Slovenia, Spain and Slovakia.

LITHUANIA:

- A NATO Enhanced Forward Presence (EFP) battlegroup of 1,200 since 2017. Led by Germany, includes troops from the Netherlands, Norway, Czech Republic, Belgium and Luxembourg. Includes 12 Leopard tanks, armoured vehicles, anti-tank capabilities, air defence, radio intelligence.

- A U.S. infantry battalion of 500 troops, includes Abrams tanks and Bradley armoured vehicles.

- NATO Baltic Air Policing: 4x F-16 fighter jets from Poland Additional deployment from Jan. 27: 4x F-16 fighter jets from Denmark

ROMANIA:

- NATO has a multinational land force of up to 4,000 troops in Romania.

- The United States has 900 soldiers in the country, some as part of the NATO force and some under separate bilateral arrangements.

- Italian and French troops are part of air and navy policing/patrolling missions. German Air Force Eurofighters will deploy to Romania in February and March.

- Romania’s foreign minister said on Feb. 3 he expected France to lead future NATO battlegroup in the country.

- A Stryker squadron of around 1,000 U.S. service members based in Vilseck, Germany will be sent to Romania, the Pentagon said on Feb. 2.

BULGARIA:

- Bulgaria plans a battlegroup of up to 1,000 troops under Bulgarian command and in close cooperation with NATO, which could include soldiers from other allied countries. It could be formed in April or May.

- The Bulgarian government gave a green light to Spain to send up to 10 Eurofighter warplanes and up to 200 soldiers to support the Black Sea nation’s air policing activities from February to April. Netherlands is expected to deploy two F-35 aircraft to Bulgaria in April and May.

- Under a deal with Bulgaria, the United States can keep up to 2,500 U.S. troops at several joint bases. At present, there are 200 U.S. troops along with infantry fighting vehicles, tanks, helicopters and other military equipment for training until the end of June.

HUNGARY:

- Hungary has been mentioned as a potential place to deploy additional NATO troops. However the country’s defence minister said on Jan. 30 that there was no need for more units on top of unknown numbers currently present for drills.

SLOVAKIA:

- Government officials have said Slovakia was countries where NATO may deploy troops but no decision has been made to request troops.

Zelenskiy welcomes Erdogan offer to mediate in Ukraine-Russia standoff

Thursday 3 February 2022 15:45 , Matt Mathers

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Thursday welcomed an offer from the visiting Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan to mediate in Kyiv’s stand-off with Moscow and to host peace talks.

Zelenskiy was speaking alongside Erdogan in Kyiv after the two countries signed a free trade deal and other agreements. Russia has massed troops near Ukraine’s borders in recent weeks but denies planning to attack its neighbour.

“I would like to thank President Erdogan for his initiative to become a mediator between Ukraine and Russia on the way to ending the war," he said. "In Ukraine, we are ready to do our best on all platforms and in all formats.”

Germany's Scholz to meet France's Macron and Poland's Duda over Ukraine

Thursday 3 February 2022 16:04 , Matt Mathers

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz will receive the presidents of France and Poland, Emmanuel Macron and Andrzej Duda, in Berlin on 8 Feb to discuss the situation in Ukraine, Sueddeutsche Zeiting newspaper reported on Thursday without citing sources.

Scholz, who said on Wednesday that he would meet Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow soon, is expected to be in Moscow on 15 Feb, the newspaper added.

On Sunday, Scholz will travel to the United States to meet US President Joe Biden.

The Russian-Ukraine crisis is expected to be a central theme of the meeting.

What to know about rising fear of war

Thursday 3 February 2022 16:20 , Matt Mathers

A series of high level talks are in the works on Tuesday to avert the threat of war as Russian troops mass by the tens of thousands on the borders of Ukraine

Here’s a recap of what you need to know:

Ukraine-Russia crisis: What to know about rising fear of war

Explainer: A mediating role for Erdogan in Ukraine crisis?

Thursday 3 February 2022 16:35 , Matt Mathers

Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan arrived in Kyiv on Thursday for talks with Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as his country walks a tightrope trying to balance its relations with both Russia and Ukraine.

Full explainer:

EXPLAINER: A mediating role for Erdogan in Ukraine crisis?

US gives military helicopters to Croatia, while Russia arms Serbia

Thursday 3 February 2022 17:02 , Associated Press

The US has delivered two Black Hawk military helicopters to Croatia, which is engaged in a mini arms race with neighbouring Russian ally Serbia, amid simmering tensions in the post-war Balkan region.

The US Embassy in Croatia’s capital, Zagreb, said the donated UH-60M multi-purpose helicopters will contribute to Croatia's growing defense capabilities and military preparedness in support of Nato.

With Croatia firmly standing by its Nato allies in the current tensions between Russia and Ukraine, Serbia has said it will remain neutral.

China and Russia have coordinated their positions on Ukraine, Beijing foreign ministry says

Thursday 3 February 2022 17:17 , Andy Gregory

China has expressed “understanding and support” for Russia's position on security regarding Moscow’s relationship with the US and Nato, the Chinese foreign ministry has said.

In a meeting between Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi and his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov, both sides coordinated their positions on regional issues of common concern, such as Ukraine, Afghanistan and the situation on the Korean Peninsula, the statement said.

Two photos released by Chinese foreign ministry showed both men doing elbow bumps while masked. Before Mr Lavrov, Beijing has not received foreign political guests for almost two years as it tries to keep the country's capital free of coronavirus.

Mr Lavrov is in Beijing with president Vladimir Putin, who will meet Chinese president Xi Jinping on Friday before attending the opening ceremony of the Beijing Winter Olympics.

US officials allege Russian plan to fabricate pretext for invasion, according to reports

Thursday 3 February 2022 17:36 , Andy Gregory

US intelligence officials claim to have uncovered a Russian plan to fabricate a pretext for invading Ukraine, The New York Times and Washington Post have reported.

Citing those familiar with the matter, the reports suggest that the alleged plot involves a faked video of a Ukrainian attack either on Russian territory or against Russian-speaking people in eastern Ukraine.

The anonymous officials reportedly claimed that Russia may intend to use the video to accuse Ukraine of “genocide” against Russian-speaking people, and could then use this to justify an attack or have separatist leaders in the Donbas region invite a Russian intervention.

A UK government official told The Times that they had done their own analysis on the intelligence and had high confidence that Russia was planning to engineer a pretext to blame Ukraine for an attack, calling the specific details of the intelligence report “credible and extremely concerning.”

According to the paper, it is not clear whether senior Russian officials have approved the operation, but the US believes it to be under serious consideration, with Moscow officials claimed to having found corpses to use in the video, discussed actors to play mourners and plotted how to make military equipment in the video appear Ukrainian or Nato-supplied.

Details of the plan are expected to be made public by Washington later today in a bid to thwart it, according to both papers.

Military exercises between Russia and Belarus represent escalation, US says

Thursday 3 February 2022 17:56 , Andy Gregory

Joint military exercises between Russia and Belarus near the border with Ukraine represent a clear “escalatory not a de-escalatory action”, White House press secretary Jen Psaki has said.

The exercises and the potential for Russia to expand its presence of up to 30,000 soldiers near Belarus’s border with Ukraine are a factor “in the assessment into how to support and work with our other Nato partners in the region”, Ms Psaki told reporters.

Washington believes Russia to be mulling plot to justify invasion, US official confirms

Thursday 3 February 2022 18:17 , Andy Gregory

A US security official has now confirmed earlier reports stating that Washington believes Russia has developed a potential plan to use a fake video of a Ukrainian attack as a pretext to invade.

“We don't know definitively that this is the route they are going to take, but we know that this is an option under consideration – that would involve actors playing mourners for people who are killed in an event that they would have created themselves,” US deputy national security advisor Jonathan Finer told MSNBC.

“That would involve the deployment of corpses to represent bodies purportedly killed, of people purportedly killed in an incident like this,” he told the broadcaster.

UK fighter jets scrambled to intercept Russian bombers for second day in a row, RAF says

Thursday 3 February 2022 18:45 , Andy Gregory

Typhoon fighter jets have been scrambled to intercept Russian Bear bombers approaching the UK for the second day in a row, the Royal Air Force (RAF) has confirmed.

Jets launched from RAF Lossiemouth in Moray, Scotland, were joined by a Voyager air-to-air refuelling tanker from RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire, and the two Russian Tu-95 Bear F aircraft were “intercepted and escorted”, an RAF spokesman said.

The RAF routinely intercepts aircraft approaching what it describes as the “UK area of interest”.

My colleagues Thomas Kingsley and Joe Middleton have the details here:

RAF confirms scrambled Typhoons intercepted Russian bombers for second day in a row

Analysis | Ukraine’s fears over close ties between Russia and Hungary stretch beyond Putin and Orban

Thursday 3 February 2022 19:14 , Andy Gregory

The Independent’s defence and security editor Kim Sengupta reports from Ukraine:

Sitting beside Vladimir Putin as he delivered his denunciation of the West in Moscow today was Viktor Orban, whose closeness to the Kremlin has caused deep concern among fellow members of Nato and the European Union.

But it is not just Budapest’s cosiness with Moscow which is a worry at present for the West in the present combustible climate. Hungary’s interaction with Ukraine has been long, and often controversial, with accusations and recriminations flying between the two countries.

Hungary’s foreign minister, Péter Szijjártó declared recently that no one can tell his country to re-evaluate its relationship with Moscow. He went on to charge Ukraine of depriving ethnic Hungarians in the country “of their rights” and being “deliberately provocative”. The actions taken by the Kiev government, he stated, made it very difficult to back it “even in this conflict” with Russia.

Ukraine, in turn, has claimed that Mr Orban’s government is whipping up separatist sentiments among the around 170,000 people of Hungarian descent in the Zakarpattia region. A number of Budapest government officials have been banned from entering the country for allegedly trying to interfere in domestic politics.

The issues have had an important impact on Ukraine’s attempts at joining Nato. For three years Hungary has blocked ministerial level political meetings between Nato and Ukraine because, it says, of the violation of human rights of its ethnic minorities by the Ukrainian government.

You can read his dispatch in full here:

Ukraine’s fears over close Russia and Hungary ties stretch beyond Putin and Orban

Washington fears potential Russian plot to fake pretext for attack, US State Department confirms

Thursday 3 February 2022 19:31 , Andy Gregory

The US State Department has now confirmed reports that Washington is claiming to have information suggesting Russia has developed a possible plan to stage fabricated attacks by Ukrainian military or intelligence forces as a pretext for invading Ukraine.

State Department spokesman Ned Price told reporters that the US is publicising intelligence to lay bare the extent of Russia's destabilszing actions toward Ukraine and to dissuade Russia from continuing what he called a dangerous campaign.

UK foreign secretary accuses Russia of ‘bellicose intent’ over alleged fake video plot

Thursday 3 February 2022 19:48 , Andy Gregory

Liz Truss has accused Russia of “unprovoked aggression” against Ukraine after US intelligence officials claimed to have discovered a plot by Moscow to create a pretext for an invasion using a faked video.

In a statement, the UK foreign secretary Liz Truss said: “This is clear and shocking evidence of Russia's unprovoked aggression and underhand activity to destabilise Ukraine.

“This bellicose intent towards a sovereign, democratic country is completely unacceptable and we condemn it in the strongest possible terms.

“The UK and our allies will continue to expose Russian subterfuge and propaganda and call it out for what it is. The only way forward is for Russia to de-escalate, desist and commit to a diplomatic pathway.”

Thursday 3 February 2022 20:14 , Andy Gregory

Here’s the reaction from James Roscoe, a UK diplomat at the United Nations, to US claims of a Russian plot to create a pretext for invading Ukraine.

China ties will not make up for consequences of Russian invasion of Ukraine, US warns

Thursday 3 February 2022 20:32 , Andy Gregory

A closer relationship between Russia and China will not make up for the consequences of a Russian invasion of Ukraine, which would only make the Russian economy more brittle, the US State Department has said.

The US has an array of tools it can deploy if it sees foreign companies, including those in China, trying to “backfill” US export control actions over Ukraine, State Department spokesman Ned Price told reporters.

Mr Price spoke after China's foreign ministry said China and Russia coordinated their positions on Ukraine during a meeting between both countries' foreign ministers in Beijing earlier today.

Macron and Putin hold third phone call in a week

Thursday 3 February 2022 20:52 , Andy Gregory

Vladimir Putin and France’s Emmanuel Macron have discussed Ukraine's crisis and Moscow's security proposals to the Wes in their third phone call in a week, the Kremlin said.

The leaders also agreed to continue personal contacts.

Russia and US both warn each other over ‘escalatory’ troop movements

Thursday 3 February 2022 21:09 , Andy Gregory

Russia and US have both accused each other today of taking actions that could escalate tensions with their movements of troops this week – into Belarus and into Poland and Romania, respectively.

“It’s obvious that these are not steps aimed at de-escalating tensions, but on the contrary they are actions that lead to increasing tension,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.

“We constantly call on our American counterparts to stop aggravating tensions on the European continent. Unfortunately, the Americans continue to do so,” he said.

Earlier White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Russia’s joint military exercises with Belarus were a a clear “escalatory not a de-escalatory action”.

US allegations of Russian disinformation plot are second set of claims in recent weeks

Thursday 3 February 2022 21:27 , Andy Gregory

The new accusations by US officials are the second such set of allegations made against Russia in recent weeks, Andrew Feinberg reports.

On 14 January, officials accused Russia of “laying the groundwork to have the option of fabricating a pretext for invasion, including through sabotage activities and information operations, by accusing Ukraine of preparing an imminent attack against Russian forces in eastern Ukraine”.

This time, the preparations allegedly include a video featuring Turkish-made drones or other Western-supplied military material “as a means to implicate Nato in the attack”.

Speaking on MSNBC this afternoon, deputy White House national security adviser Jon Finer said publicising the heretofore classified information “may make it more difficult for this exact plan to be executed”.

“Even if it doesn't prevent this plan from being executed, we believe that after the fact there will be significant disinformation deployed by the Russian government to say that they had to take military action for a reason like this,” Mr Finer said.

“Putting this information out in advance will make it much harder for them to win the argument and easier for us to keep our partners and allies aligned, which is an important part of our strategy in this entire situation.”

US officials claim Russia prepared false flag to justify invading Ukraine

Kremlin dismissed US claims of Russian plot to falsely justify invasion

Thursday 3 February 2022 22:08 , Andy Gregory

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has dismissed US claims of Russian plans to falsify a justification for invading Ukraine.

According to the TASS news agency, Mr Peskov said that similar accusations had been made against Russia previously but had amounted to nothing.

“This is not the first such promise. Earlier, similar things were also voiced. But nothing ever occurs,” he was quoted as saying.

Thursday 3 February 2022 22:57 , Andy Gregory

When US officials last month claimed Russia could be planning a “false flag” operation, a US official told Axios that Moscow typically begins planning for such propaganda operations “several weeks before a military invasion”.

“We saw this playbook in 2014 with Crimea,” one official told the news website.

US army troops board aircraft to Eastern Europe

Thursday 3 February 2022 23:40 , Andy Gregory

Paratroopers with the US Army have boarded aircrafts to leave for Eastern Europe, departing from Fort Bragg in North Carolina.

Some 1,700 service members, mainly from the 82nd Airborne Division, are being deployed to Poland, while 300 others will move to Germany.

“What you're seeing out here today ... is a facility that we typically use for paratroopers before they load out to conduct their operation,” US Army spokesman Matthew Visser told Reuters.

“Right now it's being used for the pre-mobilisation for soldiers from 18th Airborne Corps and 82nd Airborne Division who are fulfilling their order to deploy to Europe, both to Germany and to Poland, in support of assuring our Nato allies and our partners in deterring Russia,” he said.

IMF chief warns of a ‘more shock-prone world’

00:34 , Andy Gregory

Inflation has lasted longer and risen higher than expected due to supply chain disruptions, stronger-than-expected consumer demand for goods, and climate shocks on food prices, the International Monetary Fund chief has said.

Asked if those circumstances, and the escalating crisis between Russia and the West over Ukraine, could usher in an era of sustained inflation, Kristalina Georgieva told reporters: “The short answer is, it is too early to say. What we can anticipate is a more shock-prone world.”

Hacking team tied to Russia targeted ‘western government entity’ in Ukraine, researchers say

01:22 , Reuters

A hacking team that Ukraine says is controlled by Russian intelligence targeted a “western government entity” currently in the country, based on new research published by Palo Alto Networks.

The US and other allies sent military advisers and cybersecurity experts to Ukraine in recent months to help defend against Russian forces.

The Palo Alto Networks report does not name the targeted entity and a company representative declined to comment further.

Palo Alto Networks said it was able to track the Russian hacking mission by analysing a maze of different malicious web domains designed to infect Ukrainian computers with malware.

02:05 , Andy Gregory

Here’s footage of Boris Johnson insisting that the UK has been “way out in front” in responding to the situation unfolding at the Russia-Ukraine border.

On the front line: Inside the Ukrainian border city with strong ties to Russia

03:02 , Andy Gregory

The Independent’s defence and security editor Kim Sengupta had this dispatch last week from the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv, which lies just 25 miles from the Russian border and 150 miles from Donetsk and Luhansk.

He reports that some of the vicious strife that led to those two cities becoming separatist republics eight years ago is also present in Kharkiv – a city which Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky last month claimed Moscow could try to seize under the pretext of “protecting” its mostly Russian-speaking people, an act which “will be the beginning of a large-scale war”.

You can read more details here:

On the front line: Inside the Ukrainian border city with strong ties to Russia

Video: Ned Price bombarded with questions on evidence for false flag plan

04:10 , Shweta Sharma

US State Department spokesperson Ned Price was grilled by a reporter at a press briefing on Thursday after Washington claimed that Russia is planning to stage a false-flag operation to justify an invasion of Ukraine.

Mr Price appeared to be involved in a back and forth heating exchange as Associated Press reporter Matt Lee and others pushed Mr Price demanding evidence to prove Russia’s alleged move.

“You said ‘actions such as these suggest otherwise,’ meaning they are not going to go ahead with talks. What actions are you talking about?” Mr Lee began asking.

“The fact that Russia continues to engage in disinformation,” Mr Price said.

Mr Lee asked that the US has “made an allegation that they might do that. Have they actually done it”.

“We told you a few weeks ago that we have information indicating Russia also has already prepositioned a group of operatives to conduct a false flag operation in eastern Ukraine. So that, Matt, to your question, is an action that Russia has already taken,” Mr Price told the reporter.

As Mr Lee fired more questions, Mr Price said the information “is derived from information known to the US government, intelligence information that we have declassified.”

“That’s not evidence, Ned, that’s you saying it. It’s not evidence, I’m sorry,” Mr Lee said at one point.

After being grilled by the reporter for some time, Mr Price asked Mr Lee to find solace in the information that is being provided by Moscow.

“If you doubt the credibility of the US government, the UK government and other governments and find solace in information that the Russians are putting out, that is for you to do,” Mr Price.

US imposes visa restrictions on Belarusians

04:37 , Shweta Sharma

The US imposed visa restrictions on several citizens of Belarus amid reports of build-up of Russian troops in Belarus.

US secretary of state Antony Blinken said actions related to "involvement in serious, extraterritorial counter-dissident activity" but did not detail who was being targeted with the visa limits.

Mr Blinken said the US stands in solidarity with Krystsina Tsimanouskaya, who was removed from the Tokyo Olympics Games after publicly complaining about national team coaches.

She defected to Poland, saying she feared for her safety if she returned to Belarus. President Alexander Lukashenko has said she was "manipulated."

"This action is part of a comprehensive effort to prevent and respond to acts of transnational repression by any government targeting journalists, activists, and dissidents," Mr Blinken said. "We will continue working with the international community to hold accountable those responsible for repression and human rights violations and abuses in Belarus".

US warns Chinese firms against help to Russia in event of sanctions

05:15 , Shweta Sharma

The US State Department spokesperson Ned Price said Washington has an array of tools to identify the firms that will attempt to evade any export controls that would be imposed on Moscow if Russia invades Ukraine.

"We have an array of tools that we can deploy if we see foreign companies, including those in China, doing their best to backfill US export control actions, to evade them, to get around them," Mr Price said in a briefing.

The US State Department warned of consequences to such firms after the Chinese foreign ministry said Moscow and Beijing had coordinated their positions on Ukraine during a meeting between their foreign ministers in Beijing on Thursday.

White House national security official Peter Harrell said Washington is working to impose export-control measures with allies in Asia, including Japan and South Korea.

Ned Price says US-India ties stand on its own merits

05:48 , Shweta Sharma

US State Department spokesperson Ned Price fielded questions about the US-India relationship after India abstained from voting on the Ukraine situation at the UNSC.

“We have a relationship with India that stands on its own, that stands on its own merits,” Mr Price said.

He said he would leave the decision on “Indian partners to discuss their stance in the UN Security”.

“I know that we have been in touch with literally dozens and dozens of countries around the world, including our Indian partners, on our concerns regarding Russia’s military buildup, its unprovoked potential aggression against Ukraine,” he said.

India has so far attempted to maintain a neutral stance, stressing on “peaceful resolution of the situation through sustained diplomatic efforts”.

Ukraine’s fears over close ties between Russia and Hungary stretch beyond Putin and Orban

06:17 , Shweta Sharma

Vladimir Putin has accused the US and Nato of using Ukraine to harm Russia’s interests in the latest round of acrimonious exchanges, as faltering diplomatic steps continue to try to avert a war in Europe.

Sitting beside the Russian president as he delivered his denunciation of the west in Moscow was Viktor Orban, whose closeness to the Kremlin has caused deep concern among fellow members of Nato and the European Union.

Read defence and security editor Kim Sengupta ‘s report from Ukraine on how close tries between Moscow and Budapest have moved the spotlight onto a western region of Ukraine that has a large Hungarian population.

Ukraine’s fears over close Russia and Hungary ties stretch beyond Putin and Orban

Russia denies leaking US proposal to Spain’s El Pais

06:34 , Shweta Sharma

Russia on Friday denied leaking the US’ written response to its security guarantee demands to Spanish newspaper El Pais after US undersecretary of state Victoria Nuland accused Moscow of the leak.

In an interview with Tass, Mr Nuland said the US is “pretty confident” that Moscow leaked the confidential documents because “the markings on the document were the same as those that we gave to the Russian Federation”.

She said the copies of the document that were given to allies had different markings on them.

Russia’s embassy to the US called the allegations “bewildering” on Friday.

It added that “instead of focusing on the essence of Russian concerns, the American side is engaging in conspiracy theories”.

Pentagon spokesman John Kirby confirmed the authenticity of two documents published in El Pais newspaper which were about a US offer of talks with Russia in exchange for reducing tensions over Ukraine.

French president to travel to Russia and Ukraine next week

07:03 , Shweta Sharma

Emmanuel Macron will be heading to Russia and then to Ukraine on 7 and 8 February respectively to discuss the ongoing crisis, Mr Macron’s Elysee department.

The next week’s visit to the countries embroiled in tensions comes after Mr Macron held a series of talks with Vladimir Putin since last Friday.

Russia’s response Nato’s rejection of security demands offers hope: Experts

07:45 , Shweta Sharma

Even as Nato and the US rejected the Kremlin’s security demands over Ukraine last week, Moscow did not launch a military offensive.

Instead, Russia bombarded Western countries with diplomatic letters about an international agreement that the Kremlin sees as a strong argument for its position in the standoff.

Jeff Rathke, a former US diplomat said:”On the one hand Putin did fire rhetorical barbs against the West and emphasised perceived slights; on the other hand he also did leave open the possibility of talking in more detail about at least some of the issues where the West has been willing to engage.”

“We’re kind of where we were a few weeks ago,” Mr Rathke said. “Putin has kept his options open. He’s not ruled out talks but also not reduced his strident rhetoric.”

Fyodor Lukyanov, who heads the Moscow-based Council for Foreign and Defense Policies, said Russia has not shut the door to diplomacy yet.

“Russia will maintain a tough stand while indicating that it’s not shutting the door to talks,” he said.

“Such complex agreements aren’t reached in a relaxing atmosphere over a cup of tea, so all methods of persuasion are being used, including the demonstration of force.”

US officials claim Russia prepared false flag to justify invading Ukraine

08:10 , Eleanor Sly

US officials believe the Russian government has taken steps to stage a “false flag” attack against Russian troops by ersatz Ukrainian adversaries and prepare propaganda videos showing Russian casualties, according to multiple reports.

The alleged preparations to fabricate a pretext for invading Ukraine include producing fake video evidence of atrocities supposedly being committed against Russian-speaking Ukrainians in eastern regions of the country where Russia has been supporting separatist movements.

According to Axios, US officials said Russian forces typically begin planning for such propaganda operations “several weeks before a military invasion”, just as they did before the 2014 invasion of Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula. Russian intelligence services are “intimately involved” in such planning, they said.

Andrew Feinberg reports:

US officials claim Russia prepared false flag to justify invading Ukraine

Putin arrives in Beijing, talks with Xi Jinping

08:44 , Eleanor Sly

Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived in Beijing on Friday for the start of the Winter Olympic Games which are being held there. He also talked with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping, as the two leaders look to project themselves against the US and its allies.

Mr Putin’s visit comes amid growing Chinese support for Moscow in its dispute with Ukraine. The discussions mark the first in-person meeting of the Russian and Chinese leaders since 2019 and come as China and Russia increasingly align their foreign policies bilaterally.

Meanwhile, Mr Putin’s presence makes him the highest-profile guest at the Winter Olympics following the decision by the US, Britain and others countries not to send officials in protest over China’s human rights abuses and treatment of Uyghur peoples.

RAF fighter jets scrambled to intercept Russian planes near UK 136 times in 17 years

09:23 , Eleanor Sly

RAF jets have been sent to intercept Russian aircraft near the UK a staggering 136 times since 200 - with two incidents in the last two days alone.

The figures have emerged after Typhoon fighter jets intercepted and escorted four Russian Bear aircraft out of a UK ‘area of interest’ on Wednesday and Thursday, amid growing tensions in Ukraine.

In 17 years there have been 504 quick reaction alerts (QRAs) throughout the UK’s airspace involving Typhoon fighter squadrons based at RAF Coningsby in Lincolnshire and RAF Lossiemouth in Moray, Scotland.

Thomas Kingsley reports:

RAF jets intercept Russian planes 136 times in 17 years as Ukraine tensions mount

Click here to read the full blog on The Independent's website