The summit was proposed by French President Emmanuel Macron during separate calls with Biden and Putin on Sunday. Officials in Paris and Washington said the talks would go ahead only if Moscow doesn’t attack. White House press secretary Jen Psaki said in a statement that U.S. officials “are always ready for diplomacy. We are also ready to impose swift and severe consequences should Russia instead choose war. And currently, Russia appears to be continuing preparations for a full-scale assault on Ukraine very soon." Russia didn’t follow through on a promise to withdraw from neighboring ally Belarus following military exercises Sunday and continues to keep some 30,000 troops near that country’s border with Ukraine.
The Kremlin said the two sides agreed on the need for continued dialogue between diplomats and political advisors, through the Normandy Format talks — involving France, Germany, Russia and Ukraine — aimed at settling an eight-year conflict involving Russian-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine. It said there was also a possibility of contact between the Russian and French foreign ministers. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said he spoke with Secretary of State Antony Blinken about the possible summit, adding, “We welcome this initiative. We believe that every effort aimed at diplomatic solution is worth trying."
Here’s what to know
Ukraine rejects Russian claims of intensifying attacks as disinformation
Return to menuKYIV — Ukrainian officials on Monday denied Russian claims they mounted major attacks on two Moscow-backed separatist enclaves in eastern Ukraine, calling this a disinformation effort to create a “picture of war.”
Western officials have warned that Russia is spreading disinformation to manufacture a pretext to invade Ukraine, after Moscow officials from President Vladimir Putin down accused Ukraine of “genocide” and shelling of civilians. No evidence of Russia’s claims has been produced.
Ukrainian Minister of Information Policy Oleksandr Tkachenko, speaking at a briefing of journalists, said reports of explosions were false and the mass evacuation ordered Friday by the pro-Moscow separatist leaders was manufactured.
He said Ukraine unmasked 10 disinformation “fakes” over the weekend. Russia was manufacturing lies about Ukraine shelling the Moscow-backed breakaway enclaves in eastern Ukraine to create a false “picture of war,” he said.
“I emphasize once again: the Ukrainian army is not planning any offensive actions. Nowhere,” Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov told the briefing. “We stand for the return of our people and territories through political and diplomatic means.”
Russian officials Monday claimed a Ukrainian shell hit a Russian border post, causing no casualties, following earlier claims Saturday that two shells from Ukraine exploded in Russia’s southern Rostov region.
Moscow-back leaders of the enclaves earlier claimed that Ukraine shelling intensified overnight, without producing evidence.
Some of the videos about Ukraine attacks aired by Russian state television have been swiftly debunked by analysts, with video metadata indicating these were filmed earlier than claimed.
Ukraine calls on Europe to sanction Russia now
Return to menuUkraine’s foreign minister on Monday urged the European Union to move ahead on sanctions against Russia now, rather than waiting for the Kremlin to make additional moves.
“We expect decisions,” Dmytro Kuleba told reporters ahead of a meeting with his E.U. counterparts in Brussels. “We believe there are good and legitimate reasons to impose at least some of the sanctions now to demonstrate that the European Union is not only talking the talk about sanctions, but walking the walk.”
The remark comes two days after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky slammed the West for inaction, accusing leaders of “appeasement” and warning that sanctions issued after further Russian aggression would be too late.
European leaders have warned for weeks that they are ready to hit Russia with hefty sanctions, but details of their plans remain scarce. That’s led some to push publicly for swifter, more decisive action. On Sunday, Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis said on Twitter that Russia’s move to keep troops in Belarus beyond scheduled military exercises represents “a clear preparation to attack Ukraine towards Kyiv” and a “creeping annexation of Belarus.” This is a “game-changer” for NATO and for countries bordering Belarus, he tweeted. “NATO reinforcements and EU sanctions are in order.”
Russian forces to stay in Belarus until NATO withdraws nearby forces
Return to menuMOSCOW — The Belarusian Defense Ministry said Monday that Russian troops would remain in the country until NATO withdrew forces near its borders in neighboring countries, raising the prospect that they could stay indefinitely.
The new demand reinforces Moscow’s security demands to Washington and NATO that the alliance withdraw forces and materiel from former Soviet and Warsaw Pact countries.
Belarus neighbors NATO members Poland, Latvia and Lithuania, and, to the south, non-NATO member Ukraine.
Belarusian deputy defense minister Viktor Gulevich told a briefing of military attaches that NATO’s expansion into Eastern Europe from 1997 was “aggressive and unreasonable.
“It does not ensure stability in the Eastern European region but on the contrary increases the likelihood of armed conflict,” he said. “There is an escalation of tension. And not from the territory of Belarus.”
He said Belarus “has the right to demand the withdrawal of the groups of troops created by the United States and individual NATO member countries from the borders of the Republic of Belarus.”
The Belarusian opposition has called for the immediate withdrawal of Russian troops and material, saying Belarus is “losing its sovereignty” by hosting Russian forces indefinitely.
On Sunday, Belarusian Defense Minister Viktor Khrenin announced that Russian forces would stay after the end of massive joint military drills on Sunday — although Belarusian officials earlier pledged that they would leave.
Cease-fire monitoring group to meet amid ‘rapidly deteriorating situation’ on the ground in Ukraine
Return to menuRepresentatives of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, the body that monitors cease-fire violations in Ukraine, will convene in Vienna on Monday for an emergency meeting to discuss the uptick in violence.
Yevhenii Tsymbaliuk, Ukraine’s permanent representative to the OSCE, requested the meeting, “given the rapidly deteriorating situation on the ground,” to decide on “appropriate courses of action in order to deescalate the tension,” according to a letter sent to Poland’s representative. Poland holds the rotating position of chair of the OSCE.
Ukrainian officials have also complained of bias at the monitoring mission following the withdrawal of monitors from the United States, Britain and Canada. On Friday, monitors recorded more than 1,500 cease-fire violations in eastern Ukraine in a single day, as shelling rises sharply.
Satellite images appear to show recent Russian deployments
Return to menuSatellite images collected by a private U.S. company over the weekend appear to show small deployments of Russian troops along the border with Ukraine, in what the company has said could signal Moscow’s readiness to attack.
Unlike the large-scale battle groups including tanks and armored carriers captured by commercial satellites in recent weeks, the latest images show smaller numbers of troops deployed outside bases and training areas, including along tree lines, according to an analysis by Maxar Technologies, which released the images Sunday.
Stephen Wood, a senior director at Maxar News Bureau, told Reuters the company had concluded that the activity was recent, based on the tracks and the snow. “To me it indicates an increased state of readiness,” he said.
Experts say recent advances in technology, including commercial satellites, make it increasingly hard for countries to launch surprise attacks.
Satellite imagery has offered a bird’s-eye view of Russia’s deployment of more than 150,000 troops at the Ukrainian border, marking the largest military buildup in Europe since the end of World War II. The latest release of satellite images comes as Russia continues to keep in place 30,000 troops it has deployed in neighboring Belarus despite promises to withdraw them by Sunday.
U.S. claims Russia has list of Ukrainians ‘to be killed or sent to camps’ following a military occupation
Return to menuThe United States has informed the United Nations it has credible information showing that Moscow is compiling lists of Ukrainians “to be killed or sent to camps following a military occupation,” according to a letter to the U.N. human rights chief obtained by The Washington Post on Sunday night.
The letter alleges that Moscow’s post-invasion planning would involve torture, forced disappearances and “widespread human suffering.” It does not describe the nature of the intelligence that undergirds its assessment.
Speaking to journalists on a daily call Monday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov denied the letter’s claims. “Do you realize that this is an absolute canard, a lie? It is absolute fiction. There is no such list. It’s a fake,” Peskov said.
Kremlin says Putin could meet Biden ‘at any moment’ but no concrete plans
Return to menuMOSCOW — Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that there were “no concrete plans” for a summit between Russian President Vladimir Putin and President Biden to discuss the NATO-Russia crisis over Ukraine, but that it was possible if they saw a meeting as useful.
“The decision can be made at any moment,” he said, adding that dialogue would continue. He said diplomatic efforts to resolve the crisis continued, with French President Emmanuel Macron, calling Putin at about 1 a.m. Moscow time. Macron’s office announced that he invited Putin and Biden to a summit and that the leaders had agreed in principle.
“Clearly, tensions are rising, and active contacts are continuing,” Peskov said at a news briefing Monday.
Peskov said tensions in two Moscow-backed breakaway regions in eastern Ukraine were extremely high but declined to say whether Russian forces would intervene to support them. Western leaders say that Russia’s claims of “genocide” and major Ukrainian attacks on the regions are a false-flag operation designed to create a pretext for an invasion. No evidence of the claims has emerged, and Ukraine has denied the attacks.
“The situation is indeed extremely tense, and so far we see no signs of a decrease in the level of tension,” Peskov said. “Provocations, shelling are becoming more and more intense; of course, this causes very deep concern.” Putin called a special meeting Monday of the Russian Security Council, which includes his hawkish military and security chiefs, who have emerged as his major source of advice, according to Russian political analysts.
Biden agrees ‘in principle’ to summit with Putin if Ukraine is not invaded
Return to menuPresident Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed “in principle” on Sunday to meet, U.S. and French officials said, leaving a narrow window for diplomacy as Russia appeared on the brink of launching a new war in Ukraine.
The office of French President Emmanuel Macron said the two leaders had accepted the meeting and it would take place only if an attack doesn’t occur. The details of the summit will be worked out this week, when Secretary of State Antony Blinken is scheduled to meet with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.
Although senior U.S. officials say they believe that Putin has made a decision to invade, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said in a statement that U.S. officials “are committed to pursuing diplomacy until the moment an invasion begins.” She confirmed that Biden accepted the invitation — “again, if an invasion hasn’t happened.”
Ukrainians rally for support at Lincoln Memorial
Return to menuA sea of blue and yellow flags waved above the heads of about 300 demonstrators who gathered Sunday afternoon to show support to Ukraine amid fears of a Russian invasion.
On the steps outside the Lincoln Memorial, women adorned in traditional Ukrainian floral head wreaths discussed the looming threat to their home country. A few children, packed into a wagon, clutched miniature Ukrainian flags as activists delivered speeches over a loudspeaker before a scheduled march to the White House.
There were similar demonstrations in Warsaw, Madrid and other cities as people demanded that Russian President Vladimir Putin withdraw his troops. In Washington, men and women in the crowd stood close and draped the blue and yellow flags over their shoulders.
U.S. holds off on triggering sanctions against Russia amid expected invasion
Return to menuSenior U.S. officials defended their decision to hold off on sanctions of Russia before its potential invasion of Ukraine as President Biden huddled with top White House national security officials about the crisis and Russia kept in place thousands of troops it has deployed in neighboring Belarus despite earlier promises to withdraw them by Sunday.
Vice President Harris and Secretary of State Antony Blinken reiterated Biden’s assessment that Putin has made a decision to invade within days. Blinken said that follows a Russian playbook in which Moscow launches provocations before citing them as justification for aggression.
“Everything leading up to an actual invasion appears to be taking place,” Blinken said Sunday on CNN’s “State of the Union.”
But Blinken and other European officials are still leaving open the door for a diplomatic solution, and French President Emmanuel Macron attempted to broker a last-minute cease-fire deal.
Wielding the threat of war, a new, more aggressive Putin steps forward
Return to menuHe is the man with the very long table who seats world leaders and ministers at an almost comical distance. He is a lone figure in a dark coat laying a wreath at a St. Petersburg cemetery or sitting solo in his Olympic viewing booth in Beijing.
He is aging, isolated, more powerful than ever — and on the brink of waging a possibly catastrophic war.
Russian President Vladimir Putin, in the 22 years since he first took office, has evolved from an afterthought of Washington leaders to the world’s most watched and pleaded-with man, using reconstituted Russian military might to force the globe to reckon with his interests after having complained for years about being ignored.
His latest belligerence follows two years of pandemic isolation and eight years of Western sanctions that analysts say have fed the bunker mentality Putin has exhibited since his earliest years.
In many ways, Putin believes his time has come — at last.
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