Joint Forces Operation: no ceasefire violations yesterday
New State Dept warning issued for Ukraine: "The security situation continues to be unpredictable due to the increased threats of Russian military action. U.S. citizens should consider departing now”
US senior admin official on Russia's UNSC presidency: "I think the bigger issue and maybe the question is how Russia wants to use the events that it puts on the calendar in February to address or potentially distract from the situation in Ukraine and its own actions”
Asked about Ukraine, Biden tells White House reporters the US will be moving troops to Eastern Europe in the NATO countries in the near term, per @nancook with the president
14 hour agoUK prime minister Boris Johnson will speak to Russia's president Putin in coming days on Ukraine crisis. - Coming week could be important one for Johnson on foreign policy stage as he looks to assert UK role in mediating crisis
PM Johnson urges Putin to back down to avoid a "bloodbath"
15 hour agoRep. Gregory Meeks, who is leading a congressional delegation in Ukraine, says there must be a "plan A and a plan B, because we don't know what Putin will do" as Russia's troop buildup near Ukraine continues. Meeks added he's "confident" Ukrainians will defend their country
Zelensky had phone call with Macron
US has approached Hungary about temporary troop deployment, says Hungarian FM. Hungary "received an American request about temporary deployment of troops" in the country, FM Peter Szijjarto said Friday. Defense Ministry is conducting talks on the matter
"If war were to break out on a scale and scope that is possible, the civilian population will suffer immensely," Gen. Milley warns. He tells @barbarastarrcnn if the forces massed by Russia were unleashed on Ukraine, "it would be horrific, it would be terrible”
[email protected] "does not intend to put combat troops into #Ukraine for the purpose of conducting combat operations" per @SecDef
U.S. military's top officer: Russia hasn't built up forces this large since the Cold War
U.S. military's top officer: "We strongly encourage Russia to stand down." Gen. Milley says Ukraine has the "right to be independent”
"We will stay united with our @NATO allies" per @SecDef "A move on #Ukraine will accomplish the very thing #Russia says it does not want - a NATO alliance strengthened & resolved on its Western flank"
Another shipment of US military aid to #Ukraine just arrived today, per @SecDef
US Sec. of Def Lloyd Austin says Putin "clearly now has that capability" to attack Ukraine. "There are multiple options available to him, including the seizure of cities and significant territories"
"Conflict is not inevitable" per @SecDef "There is still time & space for diplomacy"
19 hour ago[email protected] Lloyd Austin, @thejointstaff Chair Gen mark Milley speak to the media
Russia's military buildup near Ukraine has expanded to include supplies of blood along with other medical materials that would allow it to treat casualties, a key indicator of Moscow's military readiness, three U.S. officials tell @Reuters
19 hour agoMinister of Derense of Ukraine: This time the 4th bird delivered 81 tons of ammunition of various calibers to Ukraine. Next week we are waiting next U.S. planes with military-technical assistance to strengthen defense capabilities
Zelensky says the White House is making the Russian invasion threat "as burning as possible" - "in my opinion, this is a mistake." Again criticizes withdrawals of staff/families from Western embassies - says the moves were "redundant and wrong"
Zelensky: "I don't think the White House is going very wrong in their analysis. I think that they are participating in this informational situation that is created around our borders"
Zelensky says "we do see" the 100,000 Russian troops. "If it happens, it will be open war. A horrible war, and we understand these things"
Zelensky says it was a "mistake" for Western embassies - the US, UK, Canada, Germany, Australia - to withdraw families and non-essential staff. "In these circumstances, everyone is essential"
Zelensky says Putin invited him to Sochi, asks why there: "Do you want me to ski there?" Suggests Odessa instead. "Let's swim in the sea."
Zelensky, still asking questions to Putin: "Why are you proposing things that won't work? This is just blunt cynicism at high level."
20 hour agoZelensky: I don't want Ukraine to be a result between president Biden and President Putin. President Biden assured me that nothing will be decided behind Ukraine's back about the destiny and future about our country
Zelensky says he'd ask Putin: "Why do you need so many soldiers there?.... Why do you need to have drills specifically on that territory, on that border?... What is this sado-masochism? What is the pleasure of someone being afraid?"
Zelensky says he hopes to see three-way negotiations between the US, Russia and Ukraine
Zelensky: "I don't want Ukraine to be the result of an agreement between President Biden and President Putin"
21 hour agoZelensky, president of Ukraine: "If there is a war, tell which army or which country is going to come to defend us: none. But if Ukraine is in NATO and something happens, they would have to defend us and that is a very serious challenge"
Zelensky, asked about Germany's role in the crisis, says Berlin has important influence in Europe. "That's why we expect you to help us"
Zelensky wandering into internal Ukrainian divisions - talking about how oligarchs and some of the former political elite "don't care what is happening in the country."
Zelensky: "The biggest risk is to fail to hold the country together. Domestic destabilization. This is the weakest link"
Zelensky hints that if war starts in Ukraine, there will also be Russian provocations against the Baltic states - asks whether NATO will act. "Are they convinced they will be protected, defended - that somebody's going to die for their statehood"
Zelensky says he does see the threat of a proxy war involving cyberattacks and information warfare - possibly also "subversive" attacks (he mentions a grenade exploding). "The threat is constant.. We have learned to live with this"
Zelensky, asked what Ukrainian government is doing to prepare for possibility of attack, says "we should have no panic. We have a powerful army"
Zelensky: "We have to be very careful in how we speak out.. We can't say that the war will happen tomorrow." Points out (correctly) that some analysts have been predicting imminent war since November
Zelensky: "We may lose the economy of our country. People come first." Repeats that Russian threat is the same as in April 2021
Sky News asks Zelensky if he's playing down the threat of a Russian attack to preserve Ukraine's economy. Replies: "I think you mistake me for another President of Ukraine"
Zelensky says Russian military build-up is "psychological pressure" aimed at affecting negotiations
Zelensky speaking to foreign media: "If you look only at the satellites, you will see the increase of troops. You can't assess whether this is a threat, an attack, or a simple rotation"
Zelensky asked a tough Question: What does he think he knows that President Biden doesn't know? Answer: "I think I have my own secrets, just like the President of the United States
Zelensky, answering Question about money laundering, talks about post-Soviet oligarchs that plague both Russia and Ukraine. Says Russian escalation has distracted his government from de-oligarchization efforts
Zelensky asking why West says it will only sanction Russia after it attacks Ukraine. Says the sanctions are designed to defend the EU and NATO - not Ukraine
Zelensky: "Tell us openly we will never get into NATO" (if there is no clear road map soon)
Zelensky: "We understand right now perfectly well that if we are not part of NATO, then we are on our own in terms of protecting outselves"
Zelensky praises $120-million loan from Canada as helping Ukraine stabilize its economy
Zelensky says "unbalanced, unreasonable information policy" has caused extensive economic damage to Ukraine
Zelensky: "Do we have tanks on the streets, no?" says media creating a false impression of what's happening in Ukraine. "We don't need this panic."
Zelensky: "We do not see a bigger escalation than before. Yes the number of troops has gone up. I don't think the situation is more intense than [in April 2021]
Ukrainian President Zelensky asked about his phone call with Biden suggests he knows the situation around his country better than the US President. "It's important [Biden] should know the situation from me, not from intermediaries."
YOUNG MAN KILLED: Filbert Elonge, 28, was shot to death in the 1500 block of West Wilson, Uptown neighborhood, North Side on January 27, 2022. Seen/heard anything tip at Our condolences. Police offer a reward for an arrest
Asked whether it is correct that Foreign Secretary @trussliz will be travelling to Russia in the next 2 weeks, a @FCDOGovUK spokesperson said: "We will update any Foreign Secretary travel plans in the usual way"
Potential Russia Cyber attack on Ukraine: "@NATO allies provide significant support to Ukraine both to bolster their cyber defenses, share information & to share best practices" per SecGen @jensstoltenberg He also notes a cyber attack on NATO allies can trigger Article 5
"If Russia wants less @NATO at its borders then they have actually achieved exactly the opposite" per SecGen @jensstoltenberg. "And if they use force again against Ukraine, they will achieve even more NATO at their borders"
"The consequences are different if they invade a part of Ukraine than if they invade a NATO ally," Stoltenberg says, but if Russia uses force again against Ukraine, there will be "even more NATO at their borders"
"I'm absolutely certain that Russia understands it will have to pay a high price" if it renews force against Ukraine, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg says at ACFrontPage event
"There are some differences between allies, I don't try to hide that. But that's a different thing than a commitment to protect and defend all allies," Stoltenberg says, stressing differences are between types of support to Ukraine, not defending NATO territory
NATO Secretary General: Ukraine is capable of inflicting painful military strikes on Russia
"@NATO is already in the region, we already have assets on the ground in the Black Sea region, in the Baltic region" per SecGen @jensstoltenberg. "We have the high readiness force that can be deployed in days" he says, noting units have already put on heightened readiness
NATO Secretary-General Stoltenberg says he is 'absolutely confident' France and other NATO allies will be able to deploy forces if needed
"What we have seen is a continued military build-up by Russia. More troops, heavy equipment" per @NATO SecGen @jensstoltenberg. Says Moscow also sending advanced equipment, helicopters, S400 missile defense systems to Belarus
"There's no certainty about the Russian plans and maybe they have not made any final decision," Stoltenberg says
Putin told Macron that the US and NATO responses do not address major Russian concerns, including not expanding NATO eastward, returning the alliance's 1997 borders, and not deploying strike systems near Russian borders
Putin tells Macron that West 'ignored' Russia's security concerns: Kremlin
