With tension escalating between Ukraine and Russia, full military mobilization was ordered on Saturday by separatist leaders in eastern Ukraine. Also soldiers have been put on standby in Kremlin-backed eastern territories Donetsk and Luhansk. As Ukraine’s President Volodymr Zelenskiy asserted that the country is looking at ‘peace’, the US vice president Kamala Harris said, The world “is at a decisive moment in history.” Meanwhile, several European nations have asked citizens to leave Ukraine. Check the latest development here.
- The Ukrainian military said two soldiers were killed and four wounded in shelling by pro-Russian separatists in east Ukraine on Saturday, where a flare up of violence this week has sparked fears it could be the trigger for Russian military action.
- Vice President Kamala Harris said Saturday that the world has arrived at “a decisive moment in history” as the Biden administration warns a Russian invasion of Ukraine in the coming days is highly likely. “Let me be clear, I can say with absolute certainty: If Russia further invades Ukraine, the United States, together with our allies and partners, will impose significant and unprecedented economic costs,” Harris said.
- Ukraine’s President Volodymr Zelenskiy met Vice President Kamala Harris in Munich on Saturday and said his country is looking for “peace”. The president also said Ukraine would not respond to provocations in the eastern Donbass region and would strive to establish peace through diplomacy
- Ukrainian President Volodymr Zelenskiy said he doesn’t know what President Vladimir Putin wants from Ukraine, and that’s why he’s seeking a meeting with him — an overture that the Russian leader has so far rebuffed.
- UK PM Boris Johnson says that they will make it impossible for Russia to raise funds in London if it invades Ukraine. Johnson used a speech in Germany Saturday to demand Western “unity” over Russia’s threats to Ukraine, warning any invasion would send a “shock” around the world.
- Moscow would have its access to financial markets and high-tech goods limited under Western sanctions being prepared in case Russia attacks Ukraine, said Ursula von der Leyen, head of the EU’s Executive Commission.
- Germany has asked its citizens to leave Ukraine “urgently” amid strong fears over the possible Russian invasion of the country in the coming days.
- Austria and France are also among the European countries that have urged their citizens to leave Ukraine as soon as possible, repeating or ramping up warnings from a week ago.
- Earlier in the day, Russia’s President Vladimir Putin launched exercises by strategic nuclear missile forces on Saturday and Washington said Russian troops massed near Ukraine’s border were “poised to strike”
- China’s foreign minister on Saturday urged the West to respect Russia’s concerns over Ukraine and questioned if an eastward NATO expansion would guarantee peace. “All parties have the right to raise their concerns, while the reasonable concerns of Russia should also be respected and heeded,” he said
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