Where things stand
- President Biden spoke with Vladimir Putin today and warned that the US and its allies will respond “decisively and impose swift and severe costs” on Russia should Putin decide to invade Ukraine.
Where things stand
- President Biden spoke with Vladimir Putin today and warned that the US and its allies will respond “decisively and impose swift and severe costs” on Russia should Putin decide to invade Ukraine.
- US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has said that “no one should be surprised” if Russia instigates a provocation which it then uses to justify military action.
- Multiple countries have urged their citizens to leave and reduced staff at embassies in Ukraine as tensions soar.
Our live coverage has ended. You can read more about tensions between Russia and Ukraine here.
Ukraine allocates nearly $600 million to ensure flights to country continue
The Ukrainian government has allocated 16.6 billion hryvnia ($592 million USD) for guarantees to insurance and leasing companies so that flights to Ukraine can continue, Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said in a post on his Telegram channel Sunday.
“Today, at an extraordinary meeting, changes were approved to the use of the State Budget Reserve Fund, and also allocated funds to ensure flight safety in Ukraine for insurance and leasing companies,” Shmyhal said.
“This decision will stabilize the situation on the market for passenger air transportation and will guarantee the return to Ukraine of our citizens who are currently abroad.”
US ambassador to UN cancels trip to Liberia to focus on situation in Ukraine
US Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield has canceled plans to lead a delegation to Liberia this week in order to focus on the situation in Ukraine, a source familiar with the decision said.
The White House on Sunday announced that Dana Banks, senior director for Africa on the National Security Council, will instead lead the delegation attending Liberia’s bicentennial celebration of the first free Black Americans to Providence Island in 1822.
Zelensky asked Biden for greater military and financial support, Ukrainian official says
During a call on Sunday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky asked US President Joe Biden for greater military and financial support, as well as for him to visit Ukraine, according to a senior Ukrainian official.
The official, who has been briefed on the conversation, told CNN that Zelensky used the Sunday call to suggest what the official called “concrete ideas to diminish the Russian threat to Ukraine.”
These included renewed calls for Washington to provide greater military support for Ukraine, including the provision of more advanced weaponry, according to the official.
Zelensky also emphasized the need for a significant financial package for Ukraine, according to the official. The official told CNN the Ukrainian leader stressed to his US counterpart that strong economic support would – in the words of the official — “show Putin that the West stands with Ukraine, and that the impact of Putin’s escalation would bear no fruit.”
According to the Ukrainian official, Zelensky asked Biden to visit Ukraine as soon as possible, but that there was no positive response from Biden. US officials say a trip by Biden to Ukraine is extremely unlikely.
Canadian Armed Forces to relocate some Joint Task Force personnel out of Ukraine
The Canadian Armed Forces announced that it would temporarily move some Joint Task Force personnel out of Ukraine, according to a news release from the Office of the Minister of National Defense.
“As a result of the complex operational environment linked to Russia’s unwarranted aggression against Ukraine, the Canadian Armed Forces is in the process of temporarily relocating components of Joint Task Force – Ukraine (JTF-U) to elsewhere in Europe,” the news release said.
The repositioning of personnel “does not signal the end of the mission,” according to the release.
“The Canadian Armed Forces remains committed to the people of Ukraine and its mission to increase the capacity and capability of the Security Forces of Ukraine,” the release said.
Ukraine appeals for a meeting of the OSCE
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba has called for a meeting of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), citing Russia’s failure to respond to Ukraine’s demand for “detailed explanations on military activities in the areas adjacent to the territory of Ukraine and in the temporarily occupied Crimea.”
Kuleba tweeted Sunday: “Russia failed to respond to our request under the Vienna Document. Consequently, we take the next step. We request a meeting with Russia and all participating states within 48 hours to discuss its reinforcement & redeployment along our border & in temporarily occupied Crimea.”
The Vienna Document, signed under the auspices of the OSCE, stipulates that “Participating States will….consult and co-operate with each other about any unusual and unscheduled activities of their military forces outside their normal peacetime locations which are militarily significant.”
The agreement says that a participating state will be entitled to a reply within 48 hours.
“If Russia is serious when it talks about the indivisibility of security in the OSCE space, it must fulfill its commitment to military transparency in order to de-escalate tensions and enhance security for all,” Kuleba said.
Biden told Zelensky US will respond “swiftly and decisively” to further aggression by Russia
US President Joe Biden told Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in a call on Sunday that the US would respond “swiftly and decisively” to further Russian aggression against Ukraine, according to a statement from the White House.
The two leaders “agreed on the importance of continuing to pursue diplomacy and deterrence in response to Russia’s military build-up on Ukraine’s borders,” according to the statement.
