US URGES CITIZENS IN UKRAINE ‘TO CONSIDER DEPARTING NOW’

A shipment of US military aid arriving in Kyiv.

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Wed 26 January 2022:

The US Embassy in Ukraine urged American citizens in the country to consider departing now, saying the security situation in the country was “unpredictable due to the increased threat of Russian military action”.

Meanwhile, Ukraine’s foreign minister has said Moscow’s buildup of troops near its border is “insufficient for a full-scale offensive”, a day after the embattled country’s president called for calm over the crisis.

Dmytro Kuleba told reporters the number of Russian units deployed to areas along the frontier “poses a threat to Ukraine” and added that Moscow is still capable of building up its deployments to “a sufficient level” over time.

Western powers, headed by the United States, are scrambling to respond to Moscow’s manoeuvrers.

Washington and its allies warn the Kremlin may be readying an imminent incursion, but Moscow has repeatedly stated it has no plans to attack its neighbour.

US fighter jets arrive in Estonia for training

Six US fighter jets arrived in Estonia to boost the NATO mission there.

The F-15E jets arrived at the Amari base in northwest Estonia to take part in an exercise along with four Danish jets due to arrive in Lithuania on Thursday.

“The additional aircraft will work closely with the current detachments to increase our readiness, build crucial interoperability and underline the robust solidarity across the Alliance,” Major General Joerg Lebert, Chief of Staff at Headquarters Allied Air Command in Germany, said in a statement.

‘A threat against Ukraine is a threat against Europe’

The European Council chief, Charles Michel, has expressed solidarity with Kyiv, saying “a threat against Ukraine is a threat against Europe”.

Michel made his remarks at a joint news conference with Slovak Prime Minister Eduard Heger.

Czechs to donate 4,000 artillery shells to Ukraine

The Czech defence ministry said it would donate four thousand artillery shells to Ukraine in the coming days.

“The gift worth 36.6 million Czech crowns (1.5 million euros, $1.7 million) was approved by the government today,” defence ministry spokesman Jakub Fajnor told AFP news agency.

The gift comprises 4,006 shells with a calibre of 152 millimetres, the defence ministry said on its website.

Russia should back separatists with weapons, lawmaker says

Moscow should support two separatist regions in eastern Ukraine with certain types of weapons, Andrey Turchak, a senior member of the ruling United Russia party that backs Putin has said.

Turchak’s remarks come as Russia’s parliament is planning to hold consultations on asking Putin to formally recognise the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic and the Luhansk People’s Republic in the Donbas region.

SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES

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