Russia has assembled 70% of military it needs to invade Ukraine: Washington
The growing number and capability of Russian forces close to Ukraine could suggest the window for diplomacy is shutting
Unveil 30-year gas deal via new pipeline; tell NATO to stop expansion
The visit comes after the U.S. accused the Kremlin on Thursday of an elaborate plot to fabricate an attack by Ukrainian forces that Russia could use as a pretext to take military action
The Russian leader's visit comes amid growing Chinese support for Moscow in its dispute with Ukraine that threatens to break out into armed conflict
Typically, investors hedge against potential losses by buying assets that would pay out if the situation reverses
The United States has said there is little chance of Ukraine joining NATO soon but that the country should decide its own future
Putin drew Macron's attention to Kyiv "provocative statements and actions", the Kremlin said
Russia sent 30,000 troops, weapons to Belarus: NATO
Top-rated government bonds and gold, assets that typically rally when political upheaval or war threaten, fail to gain in flare up.
The US has already put some 8,500 troops on "heightened alert," in preparation for what it claimed to be an "imminent" Russian invasion of Ukraine.
The two leaders affirmed their support for Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity
Russia fired back with a sharply worded objection, calling the deployments unfounded and destructive
President Joe Biden is sending about 2,000 troops from Fort Bragg, North Carolina, to Poland and Germany this week and shifting roughly 1,000 Germany-based soldiers to Romania
US troops set to be deployed at eastern Europe within days; Washington offers talks but rejects main Russian demands
The last Senate-approved ambassador to Ukraine, Marie Yovanovitch, was pushed out of her job in late spring of 2019.
The Russian response comes as the Biden administration continues to press the Kremlin to deescalate a growing crisis on the Ukraine border, where some 100,000 Russian troops have massed
Monday's open meeting on Ukraine was requested by the US
Britain urged Putin to "step back from the brink" after the Russian build-up of troops near Ukraine stoked fears of war
Any interruption of supplies because of an attack would worsen the existing energy crisis caused by a global shortage of oil and gas