Russian President Vladimir Putin has repealed a 2012 decree recognizing Moldova as an independent country, thus sparking concern among western powers that a new invasion could be in the making, as Russia's Defense Ministry denounced that Kyiv was preparing an armed provocation in the Moldovan separatist region of Transnistria
Following the Prime Minister-s announcement to the House of Commons, Foreign Secretary Liz Truss on Tuesday 22 February designated the initial tranche of sanctions on Russia. The sanctions package targets oligarchs and banks associated with the Kremlin.
By Gwynne Dyer - On January 18 US secretary of state Antony Blinken said that “our assessment has been that (a Russian invasion of Ukraine) could happen any time between mid-January and mid-February”.
Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro is scheduled to arrive in Russia on Tuesday for an official visit, which has been described at a highly awkward diplomatic timing, given the stand-off in Ukraine between Moscow and the Western alliance.