Military alliance deploys ships, jets to its flanks as Moscow accuses the West of fuelling ‘hysteria’ over Ukraine.
NATO allies have put forces on standby and sent ships and fighter jets to bolster Europe’s eastern defences as tensions soar over Russia’s military buildup near Ukraine.
The military alliance’s move, announced on Monday, came as the United Kingdom began withdrawing staff from its embassy in Kyiv as fears persist of an imminent Russian invasion. Britain’s move came after the United States took similar action.
The UK’s foreign office said in a statement that it was pulling out “some embassy staff and dependants” in response to “the growing threat from Russia”.
Tensions in Ukraine are high following Russia’s massing of some 100,000 troops near its neighbour. The West says Moscow, which is angered by the growing relationship between Kyiv and NATO, is preparing to attack Ukraine.
The Kremlin has repeatedly denied planning to make an incursion, but the Russian military already took a chunk of Ukrainian territory when it seized Crimea and backed separatist forces who took control of large parts of eastern Ukraine eight years ago.
Here are all the latest updates:
3 mins ago (12:45 GMT)
No combat troops being sent to Ukraine: UK PM’s spokesman
The UK has no plans to send combat troops to Ukraine to help it defend itself against any Russian aggression, Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s spokesman has said.
The spokesman’s remarks were made in response to a question from reporters about comments made by Ukraine’s Ambassador to the UK, who said that he would welcome the deployment of British soldiers in the event of an incursion.
The UK has already sent a small number of infantry troops to Ukraine to help with the training of forces there.
18 mins ago (12:30 GMT)
Ukrainian president thanks EU for ‘timely’ financial aid package
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has thanked the European Union for what he said was a “timely” decision to provide Kyiv with a financial aid package worth 1.2 billion euros ($1.35bn).
“Strong Ukraine is key for European security,” Zelenskyy tweeted.
33 mins ago (12:15 GMT)
UK’s Johnson warns against ‘disastrous’ invasion
Johnson has said that a Russian invasion of Ukraine would be a “disastrous step” by Moscow.
“We need to make it very clear to the Kremlin, to Russia, that that would be a disastrous step,” he told broadcasters, adding an incursion would be a “painful, violent and bloody business”.
54 mins ago (11:53 GMT)
Moscow accuses the West of ‘hysteria’
Moscow has accused the US and its allies of escalating East-West tensions by announcing plans to boost NATO forces in Eastern Europe and evacuate the families of diplomats from the US embassy in Ukraine.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov accused the West of spreading information filled with “hysteria” and “laced with lies” and said the probability of military conflict in eastern Ukraine being initiated by the Ukrainian side was higher than ever.
He claimed Kyiv has deployed a large number of troops near the borders of breakaway regions controlled by pro-Russian separatists, indicating it is preparing to attack them. Ukraine has repeatedly denied having any plans to do so.
1 hour ago (11:35 GMT)
Latvia calls for more NATO forces on alliance’s eastern flank
Latvia has called for more NATO forces to be deployed on the alliance’s eastern flank as “measures of defence and deterrence”.
“We are reaching the point where a continuous Russian and Belarusian military buildup in Europe needs to be addressed by appropriate NATO countermeasures,” Foreign Minister Edgars Rinkevics wrote on Facebook.
Latvia and its Baltic neighbours Estonia and Lithuania are all members of NATO.
1 hour ago (11:20 GMT)
EU readies 1.2-billion-euro financial aid package for Ukraine
The EU is drawing up an emergency 1.2-billion-euro ($1.35bn) financial aid package for Ukraine, European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen has said.
“The Commission proposes a new emergency macro-financial assistance package of 1.2 billion euros,” von der Leyen told reporters in Brussels, adding the package would be made up of both emergency loans and grants.
“This package will help Ukraine now to address its rapid escalation in financing needs due to the conflict,” she said, noting that she counted on the European Council, representing the member states, and EU lawmakers to approve the emergency support as soon as possible.
2 hours ago (11:05 GMT)
‘We don’t want a new Cold War’
Hungary’s foreign minister has warned of the threat of a new Cold War and called for a diplomatic resolution to the standoff over Ukraine.
“We don’t want a new Cold War. The Cold War period had tragic consequences in Central Eastern Europe, we wasted several decades,” Peter Szijjarto said, adding that Hungary supported all diplomatic efforts and talks to resolve the situation.
2 hours ago (10:48 GMT)
Latvia warns its citizens not to travel to Ukraine
Latvia has advised its citizens against travelling to Ukraine and also has plans to evacuate its Kyiv embassy staff if necessary.
“If it is necessary to visit Ukraine, we invite you to register in the consular register of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs,” Foreign Minister Edgars Rinkevics said on Facebook.
Rinkevics said officials were “constantly evaluating the security situation and will act accordingly” with regards to the potential withdrawal of any embassy staff.
2 hours ago (10:30 GMT)
NATO sends ships, fighter jets to Eastern Europe
NATO has said that it is putting extra forces on standby and sending more ships and fighter jets to Eastern Europe amid the ongoing tensions.
Denmark is sending a frigate to the Baltic Sea and deploying F-16 war planes to Lithuania, the military alliance said in a statement, while Spain is deploying ships to join NATO’s naval force and considering sending fighter jets to Bulgaria.
The Netherlands is sending two F-35 fighter jets to Bulgaria from April onwards to support NATO’s air-policing activities in the region, it added, and France has expressed its readiness to send troops to Romania.
2 hours ago (10:20 GMT)
Ireland says Russian war games off its coast ‘not welcome’
Irish Foreign Minister Simon Coveney has said that Russia plans to holds war games off his country’s coast, a move that he described as “not welcome”.
Coveney told reporters that the exercises are due to take place 240 kilometers (150 miles) off Ireland’s southwest coast, in international waters but also within the country’s exclusive economic zone.
“We don’t have a power to prevent this happening but certainly I’ve made it clear to the Russian ambassador in Ireland that it’s not welcome,” Coveney said, as he arrived for talks focused on Russia and Ukraine with his EU counterparts in Brussels.
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