*Emir of Qatar, US President meet in White House
Moscow has accused the West of “whipping up tensions” over Ukraine in a heated exchange at the UN Security Council, as the US warned that Russia’s growing military force of more than 100,000 troops along Ukraine’s borders was “the largest mobilisation” in Europe in decades.
The UNSC met on Monday to discuss Russia’s troop buildup, the first in a series of high-stakes meetings and talks planned this week aimed at defusing the Ukraine crisis.
Moscow announced Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov will hold talks by phone with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Tuesday. Separately, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said he would warn Russian President Vladimir Putin to “step back from the brink” in a planned phone call,
Russia denies having any plan to invade and Ukraine’s president has talked down the prospect of an imminent incursion, rejecting unnecessary “panic”.
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Poland has said it offered Ukraine tens of thousands of ammunition rounds before Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki’s visit to Kyiv.
The EU member has also announced it is readying itself for a potential wave of up to a million refugees from Ukraine if negotiations fail and war breaks out.
“The decision has been taken to send defensive ammunition to Ukraine,” said Pawel Soloch, head of the national security bureau.
The Biden administration says it’s important “to be open and candid” about the threat Russia poses to Ukraine and notes the intention is to inform the American public and the global community “of the seriousness of the threat.”
Press secretary Jen Psaki made the comments at a news briefing shortly after Russia accused the West of “whipping up tensions” over Ukraine.
Psaki also confirmed the Biden administration has developed “specific sanctions packages for both Russian elites and their family members if Russia further invades Ukraine”.
Ukrainian families ‘torn apart’ over crisis with Russia: AJ correspondent
Al Jazeera’s Hoda Abdel-Hamid reporting from Kyiv said many people are “torn apart” amid tensions between Russia and Ukraine
“Some of them were actually supporting the government in Kyiv, and some of them did support Russia or didn’t see Russia in a bad way,” she added.
“So it is causing a lot of problems at many different levels. And I think the message definitely that you hear from leaders is stop panicking. The war is not there yet. We’ve been living under this threat for the past eight years. We’ve seen this happen before. This is not yet the time to be concerned.”
Putin, Macron discuss Ukraine: Kremlin
Russian President Vladimir Putin and French leader Emmanuel Macron [File: Gerard Julien/Pool/Reuters]
“The leaders expressed their views on the situation regarding Ukraine as well as issues related to providing Russia with long-term and legally-binding security guarantees,” the Kremlin said in a statement, adding Putin and Macron discussed the possibility of a face-to-face meeting.
Russia, US exchange harsh words over Ukraine at UN
At the UN Security Council session, Russia accused the West of “whipping up tensions” over Ukraine and said the US had brought “pure Nazis” to power in Kyiv.
US Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield shot back that Russia’s growing military force of more than 100,000 troops along Ukraine’s borders was “the largest mobilisation” in Europe in decades, adding there has been a spike in cyberattacks and Russian disinformation.
“And they are attempting, without any factual basis, to paint Ukraine and Western countries as the aggressors to fabricate a pretext for attack,” she said.
Ukraine ready to defend its itself: UN ambassador
Ukrainian ambassador to the United Nations has asked Russia how long it plans to “pressure” Ukraine and its partners into a “Kafka trap”, while reiterating that it was “ready to defend itself”.
“At the same time, we support the need to keep diplomatic channels with Russia open. If that prevents a shift to military tools. My president has reiterated most recently that he’s ready to meet his Russian counterpart,” Sergiy Kyslytsya said at the UN Security Council meeting.
Ukraine crisis has ‘little resonance’ outside of Europe, North America : Academic
The Russia-Ukraine crisis has “little resonance” in the world outside of Europe and North America, Mark Galeotti, a lecturer at the University of London, told Al Jazeera.
“I think it’s really quite an interesting example of what is a very, very dramatic crisis in terms of European security, that actually has strikingly little resonance outside of Europe, broadly conceptualised, and North America,” he said via Skype from London
“So I think that … everyone, frankly, would rather this got settled in some kind of diplomatic, if not particularly amicable way. And certainly, if the Russians do actually launch some unprovoked, wider military intervention, they can expect to be criticised for it.”
However, he said the US should not assume what is important to it, is important to everyone else across the world.
Qatar emir meets Biden in shadow of Ukraine tensions
US President Joe Biden will build on attempts to ensure energy back-up for European allies when he hosts Qatar’s emir in a White House meeting overshadowed by fears Russia could cut exports over the Ukraine crisis.
Announcing the visit, press secretary Jen Psaki said Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani and Biden would be discussing “the stability of global energy supplies”.
Denmark ready to send military equipment to Ukraine
Denmark says it is prepared to send military equipment to Ukraine, as the West intensifies diplomacy and threatens harsh economic sanctions on Russia.
“I am ready to send military equipment to Ukraine. We are already giving advice,” Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen told a press conference.
“We know there is a request for advice over cybersecurity,” she added, after a major cyberattack, attributed to Russia by Kyiv, hacked Ukrainian government websites earlier this month.
Boeing says US-Russia relations weighing on business
The ongoing status of US-Russia relations is creating an adverse climate for Boeing Co’s business, the US planemaker said in a securities filing.
“We continue to monitor and evaluate additional sanctions and export restrictions that may be imposed by the U.S. Government and any responses from Russia that could directly affect our supply chain, business partners or customers,” Boeing added.
Biden says Russia to face consequences if it attacks Ukraine
President Joe Biden has warned Russia it would face “swift and severe consequences” from the US and its partners if Moscow attacked Ukraine, while keeping the path of diplomacy open by suggesting the possibility of dialogue.
“If Russia is sincere about addressing our respective security concerns through dialogue, the United States and our Allies and partners will continue to engage in good faith”, Biden said in a statement put out by the White House.
“If instead Russia chooses to walk away from diplomacy and attack Ukraine, Russia will bear the responsibility, and it will face swift and severe consequences”.
“The United States and our Allies and partners continue to prepare for every scenario.”
