Blinken chính thức hủy cuộc gặp cụ mắt đỏ.
Anh Trump "khen đểu" :
Trump gọi Putin động thái đối với Ukraine là 'thiên tài'
Cựu tổng thống Mỹ Donald Trump hôm thứ Ba đã ca ngợi hành động gây hấn của nhà lãnh đạo Nga Vladimir Putin đối với Ukraine là "thiên tài" nhưng nói rằng cuộc khủng hoảng sẽ không xảy ra dưới thời chính quyền của đảng Cộng hòa
Trong một lần xuất hiện trên một chương trình phát thanh cánh hữu, những người dẫn chương trình đã hỏi Trump về việc Putin công nhận hai khu vực ly khai ở miền đông Ukraine là độc lập.
"Hôm qua tôi đã xem tivi, và tôi nói, 'Đây là thiên tài'", Trump trả lời.
"Putin tuyên bố công nhận độc lập của một phần lãnh thổ Ukr - Putin tuyên bố nước này là độc lập. Ồ, điều đó thật tuyệt vời."
Ukraine-Russia latest: Anthony Blinken cancels meeting with Sergei Lavrov over Russian moves on Ukraine
23 February 2022 • 1:19am
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Tuesday he had cancelled a meeting with his Russian counterpart planned for Thursday after Moscow's recognition of two separatist regions in Ukraine as independent entities.
Mr Blinken said he had agreed to meet with Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov only if Russia did not invade Ukraine.
"Now that we see the invasion is beginning and Russia has made clear its wholesale rejection of diplomacy, it does not make sense to go forward with that meeting at this time," Mr Blinken told reporters after a meeting with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba in Washington.
He said he was still committed to diplomacy "if Moscow's approach changes" and would do anything he could "to avert an even worse-case scenario, an all-out assault on all of Ukraine, including its capital."
"But we will not allow Russia to claim the pretense of diplomacy at the same time it accelerates its march down the path of conflict and war," he added.
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1:19AM
Japan imposes sanctions on Russia
Japan is imposing sanctions on Russia over its actions in Ukraine, including prohibiting the issuance of Russian bonds in Japan and freezing the assets of certain Russian individuals, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said on Wednesday.
Mr Kishida, who also called on Russia to return to diplomatic discussions, said he did not see a significant impact on energy supplies in the short term from the current situation and said further steps would be considered should the situation worsen.
1:05AM
UN dismisses claims Russian troops are 'peacekeepers'
The UN Secretary-General said on Tuesday that any Russian troops deployed to eastern Ukraine would not be "peacekeepers" as Moscow has asserted and rejected President Vladimir Putin's claim that a genocide of ethnic Russians was being committed there.
Antonio Guterres said: "When troops of one country enter the territory of another country without its consent, they are not impartial peacekeepers. They are not peacekeepers at all."
Earlier on Tuesday, the US dismissed Russia's justification to deploy troops as "peacekeepers" as "nonsense," accusing Moscow of building a pretext for war.
12:33AM
Nothing is off the table, says Truss
Boris Johnson is set to face demands from across the political spectrum for tougher sanctions on Russia while the Foreign Secretary said "nothing is off the table" to stop Vladimir Putin's incursion into Ukraine.
The Prime Minister is likely to come under fire in the Commons on Wednesday over the punishment doled out to Kremlin-linked oligarchs and banks by the Government in response to Russian aggression.
Writing in The Times Liz Truss, the Foreign Secretary, said she had held a call with G7 allies to "agree the next package" of sanctions, while No 10 insisted there was more to come if Russia did not back down from manoeuvres in eastern Ukraine where troops had been sent into the Donbas region under the guise of being "peacekeepers".
12:15AM
Trump: Putin's actions are 'wonderful'
Donald Trump has declared
the invasion of Ukraine would never have happened
if he was still president as he called Vladimir Putin a "genius".
The former US president accused the current one, Joe Biden, of being "weak" in his response to Mr Putin's
sending of forces into separatist enclaves in the east of Ukraine.
Mr Trump said in an interview on Tuesday that he admired "tough cookie" Mr Putin, describing his latest move as "genius".
"Putin
declares a big portion of Ukraine as independent. That's wonderful. How smart is that? This is genius," he told The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show.
"I knew Putin very well. I got along with him great. He's got a lot of great charm and a lot of pride. He loves his country."
The 75-year-old said that as president, he would talk to Mr Putin about wanting to invade Ukraine. "I used to talk to him about it. I said, 'You can't do it. You're not gonna do it'. But I could see that he wanted it."
Read more: Donald Trump hails Vladimir Putin as a 'genius' over Russia's invasion of Ukraine
11:45PM
Ukraine FM says US sanctions against Russia look strong as a 'first move'
President Joe Biden's move to impose a first tranche of sanctions against Russia was a strong "first move," Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said, adding he also got a promise of more weapons from US officials.
"The sanctions that President Biden announced today - they look strong if we consider them as a first move," the Ukraine foreign minister said in an interview with Fox News on Tuesday. He added Ukraine was not seeking US troops on the ground to resolve the crisis.
Western nations on Tuesday punished Russia with new sanctions for ordering troops into separatist regions of eastern Ukraine.
Ukraine's Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba speaks during a news conference with Secretary of State Antony Blinken Credit: AFP
11:12PM
Bipartisan list of Congress members unite to call for Biden to seek authorisation for troops
A rare bipartisan letter from 43 lawmakers in both parties — from Paul Gosar, R, of Arizona, Matt Gaetz, R, of Florida to Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D, and to Cori Bush, D, of New York— urging President Biden to receive authorisation from Congress before involving US armed forces in the Russia-Ukraine conflict
10:47PM
Trump calls Putin moves on Ukraine 'genius'
Former US president Donald Trump on Tuesday hailed Russian leader Vladimir Putin's aggression against Ukraine as "genius" but said the crisis would not have happened under the Republican firebrand's administration.
During an appearance on a rightwing radio program,
the hosts asked Trump about Putin recognizing two breakaway regions in eastern Ukraine as independent.
"I went in yesterday and there was a television screen, and I said, 'This is genius,'" Trump responded.
"Putin declares a big portion of the Ukraine - of Ukraine - Putin declares it as independent. Oh, that's wonderful."
10:19PM
Blinken cancels meeting with Lavrov
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Tuesday he had cancelled a meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov planned for Thursday after Moscow's recognition of two separatist regions in Ukraine as independent entities.
Mr Blinken said he had agreed to meet with Mr Lavrov, his counterpart, only if Russia did not invade Ukraine.
“Now that we see the invasion is beginning and Russia has made clear its wholesale rejection of diplomacy, it does not make sense to go forward with that meeting at this time," Mr Blinken told reporters after a meeting with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba in Washington.
Blinken speaks about Ukraine during his visit to Nadi, Fiji Credit: AP
10:11PM
Names of sanctioned Russian elite unveiled
The White House listed three Russian elites who are coming under sanctions and said they would "share in the pain" inflicted on the Russian government.
They are Sergey Kiriyenko, the First Deputy Chief of Staff of the Presidential Administration of Russia, and his son Vladimir; Alexander Bortnikov, the head of the Federal Security Service (FSB), and his son Dennis; and Petr Fradkov, CEO of Promsvyazbank.
"Other Russian elites and their family members are now on notice that additional actions could be taken on them as well," a senior US official said. The sanctions President Biden announced Tuesday amount to "only the sharp edge of the pain we can inflict," the official said, suggesting the president is ready to go much further should an invasion of Ukraine escalate.
"This is the beginning of an invasion, and therefore this is the beginning of our response," the official said, insisting the package the US unveiled did amount to harsh punishment for Vladimir Putin's actions but did not reflect the full extent of the steps the US is willing to take."
9:58PM
Watch: Ukrainians protest outside the Russian embassy
9:57PM
Ukrainian president calls up reservists, launches programme of 'economic patriotism'
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky on Tuesday said he was calling up reservists for a special period but ruled out a general mobilisation after Russia announced it was moving troops into eastern Ukraine.
Mr Zelensky said he was still pursuing diplomatic ways out of the crisis and welcomed Turkey's willingness to participate in multilateral talks, but said Ukraine would not cede any territory to Russia.
Addressing the nation after a cross-party meeting in parliament, Mr Zelensky announced a programme of "economic patriotism" that included incentivising local production and value added tax cuts on gasoline.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said he is still pursuing diplomatic channels Credit: REUTERS
9:56PM
Biden orders around 800 troops and 20 helicopters to head to Baltic region
President Biden's announcement of a redistribution of troops in Europe includes sending 800 infantry soldiers to the Baltic region and up to eight F-35 fighter jets to several operating locations along NATO's eastern flank, a US official has said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
In addition, the United States will send 32 AH-64 Apache attack helicopters to the Baltic region and to Poland from locations within Europe.
"These additional personnel are being repositioned to reassure our Nato allies, deter any potential aggression against Nato member states, and train with host-nation forces," the senior US defense official said, adding that none of the new forces were coming from the United States.
9:56PM
The Russian oligarchs threatened with 'unprecedented' sanctions amid Ukraine crisis
The three oligarchs now placed under sanctions were branded Vladimir Putin’s “cronies” by Boris Johnson, my colleague
Robert Mendick reports.
One of them is reported to have attended the KGB’s elite spy training school with Mr Putin and they remain lifelong friends, while another has known the Russian president since childhood.
In response to the
incursion into two regions of Ukraine held by Russian separatists, the UK Government identified three Russian billionaires for
economic sanctions.
They are Gennady Timchenko, a tycoon said to be Russia’s sixth wealthiest individual with a net worth of £15 billion; and Boris Rotenberg, a close confidante of Mr Putin and an energy magnate.
Mr Rotenberg’s nephew Igor, whose father Arkady is said to be Mr Putin’s judo partner, is also placed under restrictions. Arkady Rotenberg has been on the British financial sanctions list since 2014, when Russia annexed the Crimea.
Read the full story here.
9:56PM
Biden meets with Ukraine Foreign Minister to 'reaffirm' support
US President Joe Biden met Tuesday with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba to "reaffirm" support for Kyiv amid soaring tensions with Russia.
President Biden met with the top diplomat after Russia recognised two breakaway Ukrainian regions as independent to "reaffirm the United States' commitment to Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity," the White House said in a statement.
The President assured Mr Kuleba the United States "would continue providing security assistance and macroeconomic support to Ukraine," while also reiterating Washington's readiness "to respond swiftly and decisively to any further Russian aggression against Ukraine."
9:55PM
Britain must 'dust off' its nuclear defence plans, warns expert
The growing conflict between Russia and Ukraine has put the threat of nuclear war back on disaster planners' agenda,
Anne Gulland and Sarah Newey report.
While the threat remains a distant one, it is closer now than any time since the 1970s, say experts, and Whitehall’s civil contingency plans are once again coming under the spotlight.
Russia has the greatest number of nuclear warheads in the world – nearly 4,500 compared to the United States’ 3,750.
The UK is a minnow in comparison with just 225.
Hamish de Bretton-Gordon, fellow at Magdalene College, Cambridge and a former British Army chemical and nuclear weapons expert, believes the last few weeks have shown we are “closer to a Third World War than at any point since the 1970s” – the threat is tiny, he says, but one that we must be prepared for.
“In the depths of the Cold War we were very prepared and there was a realisation an attack was a reality. We had hundreds of bunkers around the country. But fast forward to 2022 and a lot of the planning and infrastructure has gone into abeyance and crumbled,” he says.