Ukraine: Washington and Kremlin's top diplomats to meet as Russia ramps up military drills in 'extremely dangerous situation'

Russia is sending more troops from the country's far east to Belarus for drills, a deployment that will increase the number of military forces positioned near Ukraine's borders.

FILE - In this photo released by the Russian Defense Ministry Press Service, a view of the joint strategic exercise of the armed forces of the Russian Federation and the Republic of Belarus Zapad-2021
Image: Russia also carried out military drills with Belarus in September last year
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Washington and the Kremlin's top diplomats are set to meet for talks in Switzerland on Friday, stepping up efforts as tensions escalate amid fears of a possible invasion of Ukraine by Russia.

Moscow is sending troops from the country's far east to Belarus for drills, a deployment that will increase the number of military forces positioned near Ukraine's borders.

Germany signalled on Tuesday that it could halt the Nord Stream 2 pipeline from Russia if Moscow invades Ukraine, and western nations have rallied behind Kyiv.

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U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken looks on during a media briefing on Afghanistan, at the State Department, in Washington, D.C., U.S. August 25, 2021. Alex Brandon/Pool via REUTERS
Image: US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will meet his Russian counterpart this week

Prime Minister Boris Johnson told his Cabinet on Tuesday that Russian President Vladimir Putin "must not be allowed to rewrite the rules" of international relations as tensions continued to mount.

The UK has promised anti-tank weapons to Ukraine in response to a Russian military build-up on the border, with around 100 British troops involved in a training operation.

Asked about the pipeline after meeting NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, Germany's Chancellor Olaf Scholz said it was "clear that there will be a high price to pay and that everything will have to be discussed should there be a military intervention in Ukraine".

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Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Wednesday, before heading to Berlin to discuss "joint efforts to deter further Russian aggression against Ukraine" with German, British and French officials.

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Russia and the West: What's going on?

He will then meet Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov in Geneva on Friday.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki said the situation is "extremely dangerous", adding that: "We're now at the stage where Russia could, at any point, launch an attack in Ukraine."

Russia denies any plans to attack but said it could take unspecified military action unless its demands - including a promise by the NATO alliance to never admit Ukraine - are met.

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Ukrainian former President Petro Poroshenko speaks to supporters upon arrival at Zhulyany airport in Kyi
Image: Ukraine's former president Petro Poroshenko has returned to his country to face treason charges

Russian deputy defence minister Alexander Fomin said the war game drills taking place in Belarus will involve exercises to "thwart and repel foreign aggression". He did not say how many troops and weapons are being redeployed for the exercise, or give the number of troops that will participate.

From the US perspective, good news and bad news

Mark Stone
Mark Stone

US correspondent

@Stone_SkyNews

It’s good news that Russia and America’s most senior diplomats have agreed to meet in person. Only last week the Russians were declaring ‘diplomacy is dead’ at the end of a week of deadlocked talks.

“I think the fact that Secretary Blinken and Foreign Minister Lavrov agreed to meet on Friday in Geneva suggests that perhaps diplomacy is not dead,” a State Department official said, speaking on condition of anonymity. The official would not be drawn on whether it was Blinken to suggest the face-to-face.

"Secretary Blinken is 150% committed to seeing if there is a diplomatic off-ramp here, and that really is the impetus behind this engagement with Foreign Minister Lavrov on Friday. We will be testing that hypothesis," the official said.

So that’s the good news - the two sides remain committed to talking, for now.

The bad news is that Russia has moved more troops into positions bordering Ukraine, this time in Belarus. From a Ukrainian / Western perspective and in the context of the wider crisis, it is worrying. Russian troops positioned in southern Belarus put them geographically much closer to Kyiv.

Remember that within the ‘will Russia invade Ukraine’ debate are more questions: will it mount a small incursion into Russian-aligned rebel territory in the east, or, will it try a fuller invade to include taking the capital Kyiv?

US officials never choose to get into Vladimir Putin’s head or guess his intensions. But they do believe that the Belarusian troop build-up gives Russia increased capability to invade, with increased routes too.

Beyond the immediate, the spectre of Russian nuclear weapons inside Belarus - and therefore closer to Europe - is a growing concern for diplomats in Washington DC and in European capitals.

Former Ukrainian president Petro Poroshenko said the "whole world is very much disturbed by the possibility of Russian aggression", adding that the country should follow the example set by the Conservative and Labour parties in the UK during World War Two and "demonstrate this unity in Ukraine".

He said he blames the current president for failing to "mobilise" and unite the nation.

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Mr Poroshenko returned to the country on Monday to face court on treason charges being pursued by President Zelenskiy.

Mr Poroshenko is facing claims that he was involved in the sale of large amounts of coal that helped finance Russian-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine in 2014-15.

He maintains his innocence and claims his successor is trying to discredit him to detract from the ongoing problems in the country.