This blog is now closed. For updates on the Ukraine crisis you can go to our new blog here:
Russia’s leader will oversee major military drills along Ukraine’s borders on Saturday, according to Agence France-Presse, while Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was due to travel to Germany to meet Western leaders.
Zelensky was expected to meet with US Vice President Kamala Harris, AFP reported. However, Biden, who has said he is “convinced” Putin has decided to invade Ukraine, has suggested that “in the pursuit of a diplomatic solution, it may be the wise choice” for Zelensky to stay.
The US says it believes an attack by Russia is inevitable. It points to an estimated 149,000 Russian troops are stationed on Ukraine’s borders - as many as 190,000, when including the Russian-backed separatist forces.
Russia’s defence ministry announced that Putin would personally oversee previously scheduled drills involving nuclear-capable missiles on Saturday.
NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg, who attended the Munich Security Conference, has warned the size of the assembled Russian force far exceeded that needed for military drills, and that Russia had the capacity to invade without warning.
Updated
