Ukraine

With visiting German Chancellor Olaf Scholz standing next to him, Biden on Monday told a press conference at the White House that if Russian tanks and troops cross the border and enter Ukraine, "there will be no longer Nord Stream 2," referring to the now-finished pipeline delivering natural gas from Russia to Germany that bypasses Ukraine. He stopped short of explaining how it will be achieved if Germany has reservations for that decision as a deterrence against Moscow.

“If war breaks out, it will come at an enormous human cost to Ukraine, but we believe that based on our preparations and our response, it will come at a strategic cost to Russia as well,” Sullivan said. “We believe that the Russians have put in place the capabilities to mount a significant military operation into Ukraine, and we have been working hard to prepare a response,” he added. He made these comments even as the US sent 1700 troops to Poland “to defend NATO territory”.

The 1,700 US soldiers sent to Poland on Sunday will operate in the country's eastern-southern part, according to the Polish Defense Ministry. Logistics, equipment and a handful of soldiers arrived in other planes on Friday and Saturday, Xinhua news agency reported. Tensions between Russia and Ukraine are growing as the Western countries are stepping up military maneuvers near the Russian borders.

"Russian aggression against Ukraine, a Russian invasion of Ukraine, would have implications for the security environment well beyond that neighbourhood. Whether it is the PRC (People's Republic of China), whether it is India, whether it is countries around the world, the implications would be far-reaching, and I think there's a broad understanding of that," he said on Thursday at his daily briefing.

The leaders continued their "substantive dialogue" on the situation regarding Ukraine and the establishment of long-term and legally binding security guarantees between Russia and the West, Xinhua news agency quoted the Kremlin as saying. Putin noted the "provocative statements and actions of the Kiev leadership that run counter to the Minsk agreements" on the settlement of the Ukrainian crisis.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov explained that Moscow's concerns were justified by "Washington's unpredictable sanctions behavior," which continues in the international arena, Xinhua news agency reported, citing local media reports. "There are plans aimed at hedging risks and minimizing the consequences of such unpredictable actions," Peskov said when asked if Russia was preparing for a possible ban on transactions in US dollars.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has discussed the Ukrainian crisis and Moscow's security proposals with the UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson in a telephone conversation. Both leaders exchanged views on the situation in Ukraine, with Putin drawing attention to Kiev's non-compliance with the 2015 Minsk accords, Xinhua news agency quoted the Kremlin as saying.

The deployment includes 1,000 troops currently based in Germany to be repositioned to Romania and another 2,000 troops to be sent from the US to Germany and Poland, John Kirby, the Defense Department's spokesman, was quoted as saying by Xinhua news agency. "These are not permanent moves. They are moves designed to respond to the current security environment."

In a joint statement after their talks, Zelensky and Johnson warned that any further Russian incursion in Ukraine would be a massive strategic mistake and have a stark humanitarian cost, Xinhua news agency reported. The leaders said that Ukraine and Britain agreed to work together to strengthen Ukraine's security and the ability to defend itself. They also expressed their commitment to strengthen Ukraine's energy security and support its efforts toward a green transition.

"We are creating a new format of political cooperation in Europe between Ukraine, Great Britain, and Poland," Zelensky told the parliament. Later in the day, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said on Facebook that the new alliance is aimed at boosting the cooperation between the three countries in such areas as security, trade, investment and energy, Xinhua news agency reported.