Some troops in Russia’s military districts adjacent to Ukraine are returning to their bases after completing drills, Russia’s Defence Ministry said on Tuesday, a move that could de-escalate frictions between Moscow and the West.
Some troops in Russia’s military districts adjacent to Ukraine are returning to their bases after completing drills, Russia’s Defence Ministry said on Tuesday, a move that could de-escalate frictions between Moscow and the West.
A ministry spokesperson said in a video published online that while large-scale drills across the country continued, some units of the southern and western military districts have completed their exercises and started returning to base.
Video footage published by the Defence Ministry showed some tanks and other armoured vehicles being loaded onto railway flatcars.
Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said Kyiv would “believe in de-escalation” only after it sees Russia’s pullout, the Interfax Ukraine news agency reported.
“We continuously hear different statements from the Russian federation, so we have a rule … we believe what we see. If we see the pullout, we will believe in de-escalation,” the report quoted Kuleba as saying.
Russia has amassed over 100,000 troops near Ukraine’s borders, prompting fears of an invasion, especially as Moscow’s Feb. 10-20 joint drills with Belarus mean that Ukraine is almost encircled by the Russian military.
Russia ‘still has time to step back from the brink’
NATO’s chief on Tuesday welcomed signals that Russia may be looking for a diplomatic solution amid a military buildup on Ukraine’s border, but urged Moscow to demonstrate its will to act.
“There are signs from Moscow that diplomacy should continue. This gives grounds for cautious optimism. But so far we have not seen any sign of de-escalation on the ground from the Russian side,” NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg told reporters ahead of a two-day meeting of the alliance’s defence ministers in Brussels.
“Russia has amassed a fighting force in and around Ukraine unprecedented since the Cold War. Everything is now in place for a new attack. But Russia still has time to step back from the brink, stop preparing for war and start working for a peaceful solution,” Stoltenberg said, calling the current situation the “most serious security crisis we have faced in Europe for decades.”
-From Reuters, last updated at 7:35 a.m. ET
Ukraine Russia: What’s behind the current tensions?
- Russia has built up more than 100,000 troops near Ukraine and carried out large-scale exercises.
- Although Moscow has denied ever planning to attack Ukraine, it has demanded legally binding guarantees from the United States and NATO that Kyiv will not be allowed to join the military bloc. Washington and Brussels have so far refused to make such pledges.
- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said Monday his country would continue to pursue its goal of NATO membership despite Russia’s anger and skepticism from some Western countries. Ukraine is not a NATO member and the alliance is under no treaty obligation to defend it.
- In Ukraine, citizen-soldiers are being trained for guerrilla warfare amid worry over possible Russian invasion.
- In 2014, Russia annexed Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula following the ouster of the country’s Moscow-friendly president and threw its weight behind a separatist insurgency in Ukraine’s eastern industrial heartland, Donbas, where more than 14,000 people have been killed in fighting.
- Canada, which recently closed its embassy in Kyiv, is sending lethal military equipment worth $7.8M.
-From Reuters, The Associated Press and CBC News
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz met Tuesday with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow, a day after sitting down with Ukraine’s leader in Kyiv.
In his opening remarks at the Kremlin, Scholz addressed the Ukraine tensions but also noted Germany’s economic ties with Russia — which complicate Western efforts to agree on how to punish Russia in case of an invasion.
The two countries are partners on the 1,200-kilometre Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline between Russia and Germany, which is awaiting final approval from European regulators.
Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Zbigniew Rau of Poland, one of Russia’s most strident European critics, met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Moscow on Tuesday. They discussed ways to use the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) for more talks aimed at easing tensions around Ukraine.
-From The Associated Press, last updated at 7:30 a.m. ET
British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said on Tuesday a full-scale removal of Russian troops from the border with Ukraine was needed after the report that some units were returning to their bases.
Asked about the Interfax report, Truss told LBC Radio she had not seen it and would need to see more details, but added: “The Russians have claimed that they have no plans for an invasion, but we will need to see a full scale removal of troops to show that is true.”
-From Reuters, last updated at 5:30 a.m. ET
The European Union is ready to discuss Russia’s security concerns, the EU’s top diplomat Josep Borrell said on Tuesday, as tensions between Russia and Ukraine continue to heighten.
“In order to fulfil the concerns of everybody, the only way is speaking on the table and discuss,” Borrell told BBC Radio 4. “If there is a war between Russia and Ukraine, Nordstream 2 would not become operational,” he added.
-From Reuters, last updated at 5:10 a.m. ET
WATCH | Reporter Briar Stewart gets rare access to Donetsk, a city in Eastern Ukraine that was seized by Russian-backed separatists years ago:
Rare look inside rebel-controlled Donetsk
The CBC’s Briar Stewart gets rare access to Donetsk, a city in Eastern Ukraine that was seized by Russian-backed separatists eight years ago. 2:01:
Some troops in Russia’s military districts adjacent to Ukraine are returning to their bases after completing drills, Russia’s Defence Ministry said on Tuesday, a move that could de-escalate frictions between Moscow and the West.In this photo taken from video provided by the Russian Defence Ministry Press Service on Tuesday, Russian armoured vehicles are loaded onto railway platforms after the end of military drills in south Russia. (Russian Defence Ministry Press Service via The Associated Press)Some troops in Russia’s military districts adjacent to Ukraine are returning to their bases after completing drills, Russia’s Defence Ministry said on Tuesday, a move that could de-escalate frictions between Moscow and the West. A ministry spokesperson said in a video published online that while large-scale drills across the country continued, some units of the southern and western military districts have completed their exercises and started returning to base. Video footage published by the Defence Ministry showed some tanks and other armoured vehicles being loaded onto railway flatcars. Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said Kyiv would “believe in de-escalation” only after it sees Russia’s pullout, the Interfax Ukraine news agency reported. “We continuously hear different statements from the Russian federation, so we have a rule … we believe what we see. If we see the pullout, we will believe in de-escalation,” the report quoted Kuleba as saying. Russia has amassed over 100,000 troops near Ukraine’s borders, prompting fears of an invasion, especially as Moscow’s Feb. 10-20 joint drills with Belarus mean that Ukraine is almost encircled by the Russian military. Russia ‘still has time to step back from the brink’ NATO’s chief on Tuesday welcomed signals that Russia may be looking for a diplomatic solution amid a military buildup on Ukraine’s border, but urged Moscow to demonstrate its will to act. “There are signs from Moscow that diplomacy should continue. This gives grounds for cautious optimism. But so far we have not seen any sign of de-escalation on the ground from the Russian side,” NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg told reporters ahead of a two-day meeting of the alliance’s defence ministers in Brussels. “Russia has amassed a fighting force in and around Ukraine unprecedented since the Cold War. Everything is now in place for a new attack. But Russia still has time to step back from the brink, stop preparing for war and start working for a peaceful solution,” Stoltenberg said, calling the current situation the “most serious security crisis we have faced in Europe for decades.” -From Reuters, last updated at 7:35 a.m. ET Ukraine Russia: What’s behind the current tensions? (CBC) Russia has built up more than 100,000 troops near Ukraine and carried out large-scale exercises. Although Moscow has denied ever planning to attack Ukraine, it has demanded legally binding guarantees from the United States and NATO that Kyiv will not be allowed to join the military bloc. Washington and Brussels have so far refused to make such pledges. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said Monday his country would continue to pursue its goal of NATO membership despite Russia’s anger and skepticism from some Western countries. Ukraine is not a NATO member and the alliance is under no treaty obligation to defend it. In Ukraine, citizen-soldiers are being trained for guerrilla warfare amid worry over possible Russian invasion. In 2014, Russia annexed Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula following the ouster of the country’s Moscow-friendly president and threw its weight behind a separatist insurgency in Ukraine’s eastern industrial heartland, Donbas, where more than 14,000 people have been killed in fighting. Canada, which recently closed its embassy in Kyiv, is sending lethal military equipment worth $7.8M. -From Reuters, The Associated Press and CBC News Russian President Vladimir Putin attends a meeting with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in Moscow on Tuesday as talks over tensions with Ukraine continued. (Mikhail Klimentyev/Sputnik/Kremlin/Reuters) German Chancellor Olaf Scholz met Tuesday with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow, a day after sitting down with Ukraine’s leader in Kyiv. In his opening remarks at the Kremlin, Scholz addressed the Ukraine tensions but also noted Germany’s economic ties with Russia — which complicate Western efforts to agree on how to punish Russia in case of an invasion. The two countries are partners on the 1,200-kilometre Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline between Russia and Germany, which is awaiting final approval from European regulators. Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Zbigniew Rau of Poland, one of Russia’s most strident European critics, met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Moscow on Tuesday. They discussed ways to use the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) for more talks aimed at easing tensions around Ukraine. -From The Associated Press, last updated at 7:30 a.m. ET British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said on Tuesday a full-scale removal of Russian troops from the border with Ukraine was needed after the report that some units were returning to their bases. Asked about the Interfax report, Truss told LBC Radio she had not seen it and would need to see more details, but added: “The Russians have claimed that they have no plans for an invasion, but we will need to see a full scale removal of troops to show that is true.” -From Reuters, last updated at 5:30 a.m. ET The European Union is ready to discuss Russia’s security concerns, the EU’s top diplomat Josep Borrell said on Tuesday, as tensions between Russia and Ukraine continue to heighten. “In order to fulfil the concerns of everybody, the only way is speaking on the table and discuss,” Borrell told BBC Radio 4. “If there is a war between Russia and Ukraine, Nordstream 2 would not become operational,” he added. -From Reuters, last updated at 5:10 a.m. ET WATCH | Reporter Briar Stewart gets rare access to Donetsk, a city in Eastern Ukraine that was seized by Russian-backed separatists years ago: Rare look inside rebel-controlled DonetskThe CBC’s Briar Stewart gets rare access to Donetsk, a city in Eastern Ukraine that was seized by Russian-backed separatists eight years ago. 2:01: