Tension is rising in Ukraine. While 120,000 Russian soldiers are massed on the Ukrainian border, the crisis has flared up in recent hours. The United States, which fears a Russian invasion in the coming days, has called on its nationals to leave Ukraine, like the United Kingdom and the European Union. Emmanuel Macron and Joe Biden will speak to Vladimir Putin on Saturday to try to find a way out of the crisis. Throwback to this electric evening.
7:30 p.m .: the European Union warns Russia once morest “drastic sanctions” in the event of an invasion
European leaders stand together. “The allies are determined to jointly take swift and drastic sanctions once morest Russia in the event of further violations of the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine”, tweets the spokesman for the German Chancellor Olaf Scholz at the end. of a meeting between Western leaders, including US President Joe Biden and Head of State Emmanuel Macron.
The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, reaffirms “the fact that all options were on the table and that the sanctions would concern the financial and energy sectors, as well as exports of high-tech products”.
7:40 p.m .: the United Kingdom asks its nationals to leave Ukraine and worries “for the security of Europe”
“We urge British nationals in Ukraine to leave immediately by commercial means as long as they remain available”, launches the spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, who assures that “the safety and security of British nationals” is the ” absolute priority” of the authorities.
At the same time, Boris Johnson makes a confession heavy with meaning. “The Prime Minister told the group that he feared for the security of Europe in the current circumstances,” his spokesman conceded following a meeting of Boris Johnson with the leaders of the United States, Italy, Poland, Romania, France, Germany, the European Council, the European Commission and NATO.
8 p.m.: the United States fears an invasion of Ukraine during the D0
A Russian invasion of Ukraine might ‘happen at any time’, including before the end of the Beijing Olympics scheduled for Feb. 20, White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan says as Washington says the Americans must leave Ukraine “within 24 to 48 hours”.
The United States fears that the Russian invasion, deemed potentially imminent, will begin with aerial bombardment and include “a rapid assault” on Kiev. While Washington says no decision has been ‘made’ by Moscow, White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan says Joe Biden is considering calling his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin to try to talk him out of it to invade Ukraine.
8:35 p.m .: the Elysée announces that Macron will speak to Putin
As tension rises in Ukraine, the Elysée announces that the head of state will speak to Vladimir Putin on Saturday noon. The Élysée explains that Westerners want to resolve the conflict by “diplomatic means, dialogue and deterrence”. This new exchange comes a few days following the meeting between the two presidents in Moscow on Monday.
9:30 p.m.: EU recommends non-essential staff leave Ukraine
In the wake of American and British declarations, the European Union calls on its non-essential personnel to leave Ukraine. “Non-essential staff have the possibility of teleworking from outside the country”, specifies Peter Stano, the spokesperson for the head of European diplomacy Josep Borrell. This call is not an “evacuation”, recalls the EU, which assesses the situation hour by hour.
10:20 p.m .: Biden and Putin will talk to each other on Saturday, announces the White House
Joe Biden and Vladimir Putin will “talk to each other on Saturday morning” on US East Coast time, a senior White House official says. “Russia offered a phone call on Monday. We then proposed on Saturday and they accepted, ”he explains. This call will come the day following a first exchange, Friday evening, between the American and Russian chiefs of staff who “discussed several subjects of concern in terms of security”.
11:20 p.m .: Blinken reaffirms “firm” US support for Kiev
The head of American diplomacy assured his Ukrainian counterpart that his country continued to “benefit from the enduring and unwavering support of the United States for its sovereignty and territorial integrity”, reported his services in a press release. In his appeal to the Ukrainian minister, Antony Blinken stressed that “any Russian aggression” would provoke “rapid, severe and unitary consequences” from Westerners.
Washington has increased its “defensive” military support for the Ukrainian army in recent months. But President Joe Biden made it clear once more on Thursday that he would not send American soldiers on the ground in Ukraine, even to evacuate Americans in the event of a Russian invasion, because that might escalate into “a world war “.
