Any incursion into Ukraine would result in a “protracted crisis” for Moscow with “far-reaching damage for both Russia and the world”, Boris Johnson and Joe Biden have warned. In a call between the UK prime minister and the US president, the leaders called on Western allies to “remain united”. But they also said there remained
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Russia has more military firepower than Ukraine – covering the land, air and sea. It has 900,000 active military personnel across its forces, compared with Ukraine’s 196,600. It is reflective of a wider military dominance that stems from a Russian defence budget that dwarfs Ukraine’s. The imbalance is greatest at sea, with Russia having 10
Bombs will drop on Ukraine within minutes of Vladimir Putin giving the order, the armed forces minister has warned. After telling all Britons on Friday to leave Ukraine immediately, James Heappey told Sky News: “My fear is it is very imminent, that’s not to say it’s definitely going to happen. “This is a warning because
For those in the UK, western Europe and the United States who take comfort in the fact that an escalating crisis with Russia over Ukraine is blissfully far away – think again. Any move by Russian President Vladimir Putin to bomb Kyiv into submission and seize control of the country by force – as could
The defence secretary has warned it is “highly likely” that Vladimir Putin will order an attack on Ukraine, despite ongoing talks to avert a war. Ben Wallace also said there is a “whiff of Munich in the air” – an apparent reference to the agreement that allowed the German annexation of the Sudetenland in 1938,
French police have fired tear gas at protesters on Paris’ Champs Elysees avenue who are demonstrating against coronavirus restrictions. Cars carrying protesters managed to get through police checkpoints to cause traffic around the Arc de Triomphe monument to grind to a halt. The protesters waved French flags and sounded their horns in defiance of the
France has dropped its COVID-19 testing requirement for vaccinated travellers arriving from the UK. The French interior ministry has said that from 12 February, travellers will not need to test as long as they are vaccinated according to European regulations. This applies regardless of where a traveller is coming from. Bonjour, Stéph in place now
American officials will not be drawn publicly on their intelligence assessments, but their language has hardened. The degree of certainty with which they are now characterising Russia’s intensions towards Ukraine suggests that something has changed over the past 24 to 48 hours. There have been a curious range and number of meetings too about which