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Russia-Ukraine crisis: 'Of course' we don't want war in Europe, says Vladimir Putin
Vladimir Putin has told a press conference that "of course" Russia doesn't want war in Europe, but there must be a constructive solution to the Kremlin's security proposals.
When asked about the prospect of war, Mr Putin told reporters: "Do we want this or not? Of course, not. That is exactly why we put forward proposals for a process of negotiations."
But he stressed that the issue of Ukraine's membership of Nato must be resolved "now".
His statement comes as the Russian military has announced some troops have begun returning to their bases from both Belarus and Crimea after the conclusion of military exercises, the local news agency Ifax reports.
Boris Johnson said there were signs of a “diplomatic opening” to resolve the Ukraine crisis, but there were “mixed signals” from Russia.
He added that the "intelligence that we are seeing today is still not encouraging", with Russian field hospitals being built close to Belarus' border with Ukraine.
That could only be "construed as preparation for an invasion", the Prime Minister said.
Despite Russian claims about troop withdrawals, Mr Johnson said intelligence suggested there are "130,000 troops or more, a huge number of battalions and they are stationed around the Ukrainian border."
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6:39pm
Volodymyr Zelensky, the joker who 'ironically' told everyone Russia is invading tomorrow
In the face of a massive force of Russian troops lurking on Ukraine's borders this week, President Volodymyr Zelensky issued a sombre address to the nation."We are being intimidated by the great war and the date of the military invasion is being set again. This is not the first time," he said, referring to Western intelligence claims of a potentially imminent Russian invasion.
"We are told that February 16 will be the day of the attack. We will make it the Day of Unity," he continued. "The relevant decree has already been signed. On this day, we will hoist national flags, put on blue and yellow ribbons and show the world our unity."
The speech was typical of Mr Zelensky's Russia strategy, which has sought to strike a careful balance between keeping the nation calm and preparing it for extremely difficult times ahead.
But his reference to a specific date of invasion caused confusion among foreign media outlets, who inferred that the president was confirming that it was imminent. Aides later insisted that this was an "ironic" nod to previous Western predictions which had not come to pass.
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James Rothwell and Tanya Kozyreva have the full story.
6:13pm
Scholz says Putin wrong to use word 'genocide' in reference to Donbass
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said on Tuesday that Russian President Vladimir Putin's use of the word "genocide" to describe the situation in east Ukraine's breakaway Donbass region was wrong.Speaking to reporters after a meeting with Putin, Mr Scholz said the word genocide, used by President Putin at an earlier joint news conference, was strong. "It is wrong," he said.
6:01pm
Biden to deliver remarks on Russia-Ukraine crisis at 8.30pm UK time
US President Joe Biden will on Tuesday deliver remarks on tensions over Ukraine, after Russia announced it was pulling back some of the troops deployed on its neighbour's borders.The White House said Biden would speak at 8.30pm UK time to "reiterate that the United States remains open to high-level diplomacy in close coordination with our allies."
"The United States continues to believe diplomacy and de-escalation are the best path forward, but is prepared for every scenario," it said.
The Ukrainian national flag is seen in central Lviv on Tuesday CREDIT: REUTERS/PAVLO PALAMARCHUK
5:46pm
Russia fails to attend OSCE meeting on Ukraine crisis
Russia on Tuesday failed to attend a meeting of members of the OSCE, the world's largest security body, to explain its military buildup near the Ukraine border.Kyiv had requested the meeting with Russia and other members of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe to "discuss the reinforcement and movement of Russian forces along our border" under the so-called Vienna Document.
"The United States welcomes the decision by Ukraine to call for this meeting," Michael Carpenter, the US ambassador to the OSCE, told the closed-door session.
"Unfortunately and regrettably, though perhaps not surprisingly, the Russian Federation has absented itself today," he added, according to his statement.
A source with knowledge of the meeting confirmed to AFP that Russia had failed to attend.
The Russian representative to the OSCE did not immediately return a request for comment.
5:32pm
French Foreign Minister welcomes Russian pullback but urges further action
French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian has welcomed a signal from Russia that it was pulling back some forces close to the border with Ukraine.But he urged Moscow to translate the undertaking into actions on the ground.
"Words are good. We are waiting for acts. If the acts are there then that would be even better," Mr Le Drian Le Drian told parliament.
He said that he had taken note of some recent "inflections" by Russian officials indicating openness to dialogue.
President Emmanuel Macron will hold new telephone talks with US counterpart Joe Biden on the crisis today, the French presidency added.
5:24pm
Nigel Farage: 'We should not entertain Nato membership for Ukraine'
The most important objective should be to remove one of Vladimir Putin’s chief reasons for invading, writes Nigel Farage.Read his full piece here.
5:12pm
PM urges stronger coordination with EU on Russia
Britain and the European Union should do more to strengthen coordinated measures to punish Russia if it breaches Ukraine's sovereignty, Prime Minister Boris Johnson told European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Tuesday."The pair discussed the grave situation on the Ukrainian border, and agreed that the world needed to remain vigilant in the coming hours and days," a spokeswoman for Mr Johnson's office said.
"[Mr Johnson] welcomed the unity of allies, but said more could be done to strengthen coordinated measures at pace," the spokeswoman added.
5:03pm
Signs of 'good development' in Putin talks, German chancellor says
German chancellor Olaf Scholz said he saw some hints of progress in talks on Tuesday with Russian President Vladimir Putin on easing regional tensions."There were enough points of departure indicating a good development and we have to use these points of departure," he said. "It shows that it is worth sticking with it and trying to make progress despite broad points of disagreement."
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz speaks during his talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin in the Kremlin on Tuesday. CREDIT: MIKHAIL KLIMENTYEV, SPUTNIK, KREMLIN POOL PHOTO VIA AP
4:56pm
West should pay attention to Kyiv's 'violations' of European security agreements, Russian spokesperson says
The spokesperson for Russia's foreign ministry has claimed that the West "should pay attention to Kyiv’s several violations” of European security agreements.Maria Zakharova, commenting on Ukraine’s request for a meeting through the Organisation of Security and Co-operation in Europe, said: “Ukraine’s request is nothing other than an attempt to distract [from Ukraine’s own] 'unusual' military activity.”
Earlier the Ukrainian Minister for Foreign Affairs Dmitrii Kuleba said that Ukrainian powers were calling a meeting with the Russian Federation and other member-states of OSCE because Russia had not responded to calls to provide information about its military activities, according to RIA News.
4:48pm
Ukraine reports cyber attack on defence ministry website and banks
Ukraine said on Tuesday that the sites of the country's defence ministry and armed forces as well as two state banks were hit by a cyberattack that could have Russian origins.The announcement from Ukraine's communications watchdog comes with the former Soviet republic fearing a possible attack from Russian forces conducting massive military drills at its frontiers.
The affected sites include the Oschadbank state savings bank and Privat24 - two of the country's largest financial institutions.
The defence ministry site showed an error message saying the site was "undergoing technical maintenance".
The watchdog said Privat24 was hit by "a massive denial of service (DDOS) attack".
"It cannot be excluded that the aggressor is resorting to dirty tricks," the watchdog said in reference to Russia.
4:40pm
Russian Foreign Minister calls for 'pragmatic dialogue'
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has called for "pragmatic dialogue" in a phone call with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken.Mr Blinken stressed the need to continue working together in the phone call.
He also told Mr Blinken that "aggressive rhetoric" over the Ukraine crisis was unacceptable.
Mr Lavrov emphasised the inadmissibility of the aggressive rhetoric whipped up by Washington and its closest allies, calling for pragmatic dialogue over the entire range of issues raised by Russia," the foreign ministry in Moscow said in a statement.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov CREDIT: PHOTO BY RUSSIAN FOREIGN MINISTRY PRESS SERVICE/HANDOUT/ANADOLU AGENCY VIA GETTY IMAGES
4:28pm
London marine insurers add Russian and Ukrainian waters to high risk list
London’s marine insurance market on Tuesday added the Ukrainian and Russian waters around the Black Sea and Sea of Azov to its list of areas deemed high risk, a circular showed.Their guidance is watched closely and influences underwriters’ considerations over insurance premiums.
The Joint War Committee, which comprises syndicate members from the Lloyd’s Market Association and representatives from the London insurance company market, normally meets every quarter to review areas it considers high risk for merchant vessels and prone to war, strikes, terrorism and related perils.
"The application of this list on individual contracts will be a matter for specific negotiation," the circular issued on Tuesday said, without providing further detail.
Russia said on Tuesday some of its troops were returning to base after exercises near Ukraine and it mocked repeated Western warnings about a looming invasion, but Nato said it had yet to see any evidence of de-escalation.
4:22pm
Germany ready to scrap Nord Stream 2 if Russia invades Ukraine, Olaf Scholz implies
Olaf Scholz suggested Germany is ready to scrap the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline if Russia invades Ukraine at Tuesday's press conference, but stopped short of spelling it out."We certainly know what to do [in the event of Russian aggression]," he said. "And my impression is that everyone else knows it too. As far as the pipeline itself is concerned, everyone knows what's going on."
It was the closest Mr Scholz has come yet to explicitly backing the US line on Nord Stream.
The US has said it will "bring an end" to the pipeline if Russia invades. Annalena Baerbock, the German foreign minister, has said the pipeline will not go online in the event of Russian aggression, and Mr Scholz's own government is briefing he has privately agreed.
But he has studiously avoided committing himself in public.
4:17pm
US Secretary of State speaks with Russian Foreign Minister
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has held a new phone call on the Ukraine crisis with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, the State Department said.After their last call on Saturday, "they agreed to stay in touch," a senior State Department official said, without providing details of their latest conversation.
4:09pm
Ukraine says only it and Nato should determine membership
Only Ukraine and Nato should determine Kyiv's bid to join the alliance, Ukraine's Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said after meeting his Italian counterpart Luigi Di Maio in Kyiv on Tuesday."No one but Ukraine and Nato members should have a say in the discussions about Ukraine's future Nato membership," Mr Kuleba said.
The meeting with Mr Di Maio came hours after Russia said it was withdrawing some of its troops deployed near Ukraine and as Russia's parliament asked President Vladimir Putin to recognise two territories held by pro-Russian rebels in Ukraine's east.
3:56pm
Putin claims there is a 'genocide' in eastern Ukraine
Russian President Vladimir Putin described the situation in the Donbas region as a "genocide", reports Andrew Quinn.Speaking at a press conference alongside Olaf Scholz, he said that he does not want was in Europe and called for the conflict in Donbas to be resolved through the Minsk Protocol.
The Minsk Protocol was an agreement which sought to end conflict in the region.
Mr Putin said: "In our view what is now happening in Donbas is genocide."
3:37pm
'Despite assurances over war, Putin makes clear Ukraine's Nato membership is still a red line'
Vladimir Putin has indicated the Kremlin’s willingness to pursue diplomacy in order to break a stalemate over Ukraine but made it clear a Nato membership for Ukraine was still a red line for Moscow, says our Moscow correspondent Nataliya Vasilyeva.President Putin in his clearest statement to date sought to assure the world that Moscow was not seeking an armed conflict with Ukraine but also made it clear that it still wanted iron-clad guarantees that Ukraine will not be allowed to join Nato.
Verbal assurances that Ukraine is not ready to join Nato right now and it shouldn’t worry Russia were not good enough, Mr Putin said.
The Russian leader sought to alleviate fears that Russia might want to recognise the separatist-held statelets in eastern Ukraine by saying Moscow was committed to the Minsk peace agreement but said it was up to France and Germany to convince Kyiv to comply.
He insisted that Russia does not want another war in Europe but made a point that what happens next in Ukraine is not entirely up to Russia.
“What will it depend on? The situation on the ground,” he told a reporter when asked what Moscow was going to do now that some troops were ordered to pull back.
“Who can say how it will pan out? No one. It’s not just up to us. But our intention is to seek agreement with our counterparts on the issues we have put forward to solve them by diplomatic means.”
3:21pm
Olaf Scholz says some points in Russia's demands are worth discussing
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz after a meeting with Vladimir Putin said that some aspects of Moscow's demands over Ukraine were worth considering."It was right that Nato and the European Union responded to the letters from Russia, and while Russia does not agree with the response, it is a good sign that it says there are a few good points in it," said Mr Scholz at a joint news conference.
"Likewise, Nato, the EU, and we do not agree with the demands of Russia, but we believe there are some points in there that are worth discussing," he said.
3:08pm
Nato started the last war in Europe - Vladimir Putin
In response to Chancellor Scholz's comments that his generation could not imagine a war in Europe, Mr Putin pointed to the 1990s war in Yugoslavia, saying that: "We were witnesses to a war in Europe, and this was initiated by Nato against Yugoslavia."Mr Putin also said that at that time there were "no sanctions from the UN security council.... It's a bad example... but it happened."
Nato started the last war in Europe - Vladimir Putin
In response to Chancellor Scholz's comments that his generation could not imagine a war in Europe, Mr Putin pointed to the 1990s war in Yugoslavia, saying that: "We were witnesses to a war in Europe, and this was initiated by Nato against Yugoslavia."Mr Putin also said that at that time there were "no sanctions from the UN security council.... It's a bad example... but it happened."
Vladimir Putin looks on at a joint press conference with Olaf Scholz CREDIT: DPA PICTURE ALLIANCE / ALAMY LIVE NEWS /HTTPS://WWW.ALAMY.COM
2:59pm
We need to resolve Ukraine's Nato membership 'now' - Vladimir Putin
Vladimir Putin has said Russia wants to resolve the issue of whether Ukraine will join Nato "now"."We're hearing that Ukraine is not ready to join Nato today," the Russian leader said.
"Will it be accepted when it will be ready? It may be too late for us then. We need to resolve this now. This is our position and we hope very much that our concern will be heard by our partners and taken seriously."
In response, the German chancellor Olaf Scholz said: "Nato expansion is not really on the agenda. It is not a topic that will come up while we are in office. I think it will take longer but not forever."
2:43pm
Vladimir Putin indicates he won't recognise separatist regions in Ukraine
Vladimir Putin has indicated that he would not support a motion to recognise Ukraine’s self-proclaimed separatist statelets in the east, our Moscow correspondent Nataliya Vasilyeva reports.Russia’s State Duma voted earlier on Tuesday on a motion to call on the Russian leader to recognise the independence of Donetsk and Luhansk.
Asked about the bill, President Putin said at a news conference that the bill reflects Russians’ sympathy with the plight of residents of those separatist republics but indicated that he would not support it.
Mr Putin said he felt Russia “needs to do everything we can to solve the problem” of eastern Ukraine but “based on the possibilities enshrined in the Minsk agreements that have not been implemented.”
Russia has criticised Kyiv for dragging its feet on implementing the highly unpopular deal signed in 2015 in the Belarusian capital Minsk.
2:37pm
European security can only be achieved 'with Russia' - Olaf Scholz
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said Russia was a crucial player in maintaining security in Europe, after talks with Vladimir Putin in Moscow."For Europeans it is clear that lasting security cannot be achieved against Russia but only with Russia," he told reporters.
"It should be possible to find a [diplomatic] solution. No matter how difficult and serious the situation seems to be, I refuse to say it is hopeless," he said.
For his part, Vladimir Putin said that the decision on the "partial" withdrawal of troops has been taken.
2:21pm
Russia prepared to talk with US, Nato - Vladimir Putin
Russian President Vladimir Putin says Russia is ready to discuss confidence-building measures with the US and Nato as Russian troops reportedly begin pulling back from the Ukrainian border.Speaking at a joint press conference with German chancellor Olaf Scholz, Mr Putin also warned that "any forceful constraint of Russia would be seen as a threat."
"We are ready to work further together. We are ready to go down the negotiations track," Mr Putin said.
But Russia "cannot turn a blind eye" to how Washington and Nato "freely interpret" the principle of the indivisibility of security - that no country should strengthen its security at the expense of others.
Vladimir Putin (R) and Olaf Scholz attend a joint news conference in Moscow CREDIT: SPUTNIK/VIA REUTERS
For his part, Mr Scholz warned that the West views "troop build-up as a threat" and said "de-escalation is urgently needed," but "diplomatic options are not exhausted".
"It is a good sign that Russia has withdrawn some troops," he added.
Ukraine joining Nato 'not on the agenda', says German chancellor
Olaf Scholz has appeared to rule out any prospect of Nato membership for Ukraine after talks with Vladimir Putin.
www.telegraph.co.uk
