Russia forced the West into a flurry of diplomacy this week with its massive troop buildup on its border with Ukraine. Here's a short guide to what the Kremlin wants.
The U.S. and its European allies want Russia to reduce troop buildup along the Ukraine border. Russia wants U.S. troops out of Eastern Europe. Both sides say those demands are non-starters.
When Vladimir Putin assumed power in 1999, he immediately sent the Russian military into Chechnya. For more than 20 years, Putin has repeatedly looked to the military to strengthen his rule.
Biden told Putin in a call that if Russia invades Ukraine, the U.S. may levy economic sanctions and provide weapons and troops to NATO's eastern flank, said National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan.
In a scheduled video call Tuesday with the Russian president, Biden will outline economic sanctions and stepped-up support for NATO allies if Russia invades, a senior administration official says.
Ukrainians have watched the U.S. exit from Afghanistan with dismay and are desperate to hear reassurance of support as President Volodymyr Zelenskyy visits Washington, two former U.S. diplomats write.
Russia says it will begin a phased reduction of troops from its border with neighboring Ukraine – apparently ending a standoff that had alarmed Kyiv and Western observers.
Volodymyr Zelenskiy, who announced Monday he'd tested positive for the coronavirus, has been taken to a Kyiv hospital. A spokeswoman says his symptoms are "nothing serious."
A standoff ends with the gunman releasing all 13 hostages unharmed after Volodymyr Zelenskiy posts a video to social media saying, "Everyone should watch the 2005 film Earthlings."
"Especially during a pandemic, it is insanity for Russian-led forces and Ukrainians to be killing each other," write former U.S. envoys to Ukraine William B. Taylor, Steven Pifer and John E. Herbst.
More than 200 new infections have been identified in a prison in eastern Shandong province. Meanwhile, in South Korea, dozens from the same religious sect have contracted the virus.
"America used to be a beacon of freedom, liberty and anti-corruption efforts. Now a lot of Ukrainians feel like ... we are by ourselves," says a Ukrainian political commentator.
The career diplomat, who served as ambassador to Ukraine, became a key figure in the impeachment of President Trump, was forced out of her post in May.
As the State Department faces ongoing questions over Marie Yovanovitch's treatment as U.S. envoy to Ukraine, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo tells NPR, "I've defended every single person on this team."
Ukraine's Internal Affairs Ministry says it's asking the FBI to help determine whether international laws were broken, or "whether it is just a bravado and a fake information" from a U.S. politician.
"They are moving her tomorrow," U.S. congressional candidate Robert F. Hyde wrote on WhatsApp in March. He added, "The guys over [there] asked me what I would like to do and what is in it for them."
U.S. and Iranian officials on Friday offered dueling assertions of what caused the crash. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo blamed it on an Iranian missile, while Iran said that was clearly not the case.
