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Post by Admin on Jan 27, 2022 2:27:26 GMT
US tells Moscow "no concessions" over Ukraine - BBC News
139,832 views • Jan 27, 2022 • S Secretary of State Antony Blinken has said Washington has made no concessions to the main Russian demands over Ukraine and NATO, in a written response delivered to Moscow
The letter from the US is its formal response to Russian demands that include NATO's withdrawal from eastern Europe.
Russia has massed around 100,000 troops on the border with Ukraine. It’s calling on the country to be barred from NATO membership.
Huw Edwards presents BBC News at Ten reporting by Sarah Rainsford in Ukraine’s capital Kyiv, and Barbara Plett Usher in Washington.
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Post by Admin on Jan 27, 2022 4:26:05 GMT
The US has rejected Russia's demand to bar Ukraine from Nato, amid warnings Russia might invade its neighbour. Secretary of State Antony Blinken was giving Russia a formal response to its demands to resolve the Ukraine crisis. Mr Blinken gave no concessions but said that he was offering Russia "a serious diplomatic path forward, should Russia choose it". A Russian minister said his country would study Mr Blinken's response, delivered in coordination with Nato. Russia had issued a written list of its concerns about the expansion of the Nato military alliance and related security issues. Among them was a demand for Nato to rule out the possibility of Ukraine and others ever joining the alliance. In recent weeks, Russia has been amassing large numbers of troops on the Ukraine border - something which Western countries have seen as preparation for a possible invasion. Russia denies this. Mr Blinken said the US response made its "core principles" clear, including Ukraine's sovereignty and its right to choose to be part of security alliances such as Nato. "There should be no doubt about our seriousness of purpose when it comes to diplomacy, and we're acting with equal focus and force to bolster Ukraine's defences and prepare a swift united response to further Russian aggression," he said. Confidential talks Mr Blinken also denied any rift or difference of opinion between the US and its European allies. Nato, he said, had prepared its own set of proposals which "fully reinforces ours and vice versa". But the US document will not be made public. "Diplomacy has the best chance to succeed if we provide space for confidential talks," the Secretary of State said. Nato Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said the alliance's document had also been delivered to Moscow, and while he was willing to listen to Russia's concerns, all nations had the right to choose their own security arrangements. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, however, said earlier on Wednesday that Mr Stoltenberg had "lost touch with reality", when asked about Nato boosting its presence near Russia's borders.
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Post by Admin on Jan 27, 2022 18:09:25 GMT
Ukraine civilians: 'I should be ready to defend the country' - BBC News
161,283 views • Jan 26, 2022 • Ukrainian civilians have been getting military training to prepare for a possible Russian invasion.
Marta Yuzkiv is one of those preparing to defend her country but says she doesn't want war.
Russia has amassed some 100,000 troops on Ukraine’s borders but denies it is planning to invade.
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Post by Admin on Jan 28, 2022 3:31:36 GMT
If Russia invades Ukraine here’s where civilians are meant to hide - BBC News 109,038 views • Jan 28, 2022 • Ukrainian authorities have listed thousands of bomb shelters in the capital Kyiv ahead of any potential attack from Russia. But some of them are really not what you’d expect in the face of a possible invasion.
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Post by Admin on Jan 28, 2022 18:13:59 GMT
Russia said Friday it will not start a war in Ukraine but warned that the U.S. and NATO have ignored its demands and left little room for compromise in the crisis. President Vladimir Putin told French President Emmanuel Macron that the West has failed to consider Russia’s key conditions of halting further NATO expansion, stopping the deployment of alliance weapons near Russian borders, and rolling back its forces from Eastern Europe, the Kremlin said. The U.S. and NATO formally rejected those demands this week, although Washington outlined areas where discussions are possible, offering hope that there could be a way to avoid war amid the buildup of more than 100,000 Russian troops near Ukraine. Despite that, U.S. President Joe Biden on Thursday warned Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy that there is a “distinct possibility” that Russia could take military action against the former Soviet state in February. Russia has repeatedly denied having any such plans. Zelenskyy, however, sought to play down the war fears, saying Western alarm over an imminent invasion has prompted many investors in the country’s financial markets to cash out. “We don’t need this panic,” he said at a news conference. “It cost Ukrainians dearly.” Putin told Macron that Moscow will study the U.S. and NATO response before deciding its next move, according to a Kremlin account of their call. Earlier in the day, Putin held a weekly meeting of his Security Council, saying only that it would address foreign policy issues. Putin has made no public remarks about the Western response, but Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said it leaves little chance for reaching agreement. “While they say they won’t change their positions, we won’t change ours,” Lavrov told Russian radio stations in a live interview. “I don’t see any room for compromise here.” “There won’t be a war as far as it depends on the Russian Federation, we don’t want a war,” he added. “But we won’t let our interests be rudely trampled on and ignored.” Lavrov said the U.S. suggested the two sides could talk about limits on the deployment of intermediate-range missiles, restrictions on military drills and rules to prevent accidents between warships and aircraft. He said that Russia proposed discussing those issues years ago — but Washington and its allies never took them up on it until now. While welcoming Washington’s offers on confidence-building measures, he argued they are secondary to Russia’s main concerns on NATO. He noted that international agreements say that the security of one nation must not come at the expense of others — and that he would send letters to ask his Western counterparts to explain their failure to respect that pledge.
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