The Fort Worth Press - Ukraine tells West not to 'panic' over Russian troop buildup

USD -
AED 3.672977
AFN 68.000338
ALL 93.019769
AMD 388.466711
ANG 1.802136
AOA 913.507442
ARS 1004.024015
AUD 1.53468
AWG 1.8025
AZN 1.702233
BAM 1.859028
BBD 2.018819
BDT 119.494913
BGN 1.86488
BHD 0.376867
BIF 2897.5
BMD 1
BND 1.343751
BOB 6.909335
BRL 5.814302
BSD 0.999857
BTN 84.485602
BWP 13.651378
BYN 3.272548
BYR 19600
BZD 2.015674
CAD 1.39568
CDF 2870.000091
CHF 0.886604
CLF 0.035278
CLP 973.429703
CNY 7.237203
CNH 7.253685
COP 4391
CRC 508.292544
CUC 1
CUP 26.5
CVE 105.62499
CZK 24.195026
DJF 177.720257
DKK 7.115305
DOP 60.4023
DZD 133.588994
EGP 49.668496
ERN 15
ETB 123.093572
EUR 0.95385
FJD 2.27125
FKP 0.789317
GBP 0.793835
GEL 2.725002
GGP 0.789317
GHS 15.849765
GIP 0.789317
GMD 70.999559
GNF 8629.999573
GTQ 7.719178
GYD 209.209595
HKD 7.78355
HNL 25.174971
HRK 7.133259
HTG 131.285912
HUF 392.284991
IDR 15927.05
ILS 3.71464
IMP 0.789317
INR 84.510799
IQD 1310.5
IRR 42104.999856
ISK 139.349642
JEP 0.789317
JMD 158.803485
JOD 0.709103
JPY 154.569674
KES 129.501289
KGS 86.498751
KHR 4049.999918
KMF 467.497654
KPW 899.999621
KRW 1399.524993
KWD 0.30763
KYD 0.833321
KZT 495.877273
LAK 21954.999924
LBP 89600.000059
LKR 290.944865
LRD 180.450432
LSL 18.110004
LTL 2.95274
LVL 0.60489
LYD 4.884965
MAD 9.995001
MDL 18.209124
MGA 4670.000107
MKD 58.680488
MMK 3247.960992
MNT 3397.999946
MOP 8.016062
MRU 39.904986
MUR 46.403431
MVR 15.459836
MWK 1734.999682
MXN 20.41969
MYR 4.465031
MZN 63.949792
NAD 18.109844
NGN 1687.150112
NIO 36.789902
NOK 11.067525
NPR 135.177343
NZD 1.70542
OMR 0.384985
PAB 0.999948
PEN 3.795025
PGK 4.02575
PHP 58.981496
PKR 278.050105
PLN 4.1439
PYG 7848.150595
QAR 3.64075
RON 4.747398
RSD 111.612008
RUB 101.300503
RWF 1370
SAR 3.754518
SBD 8.355531
SCR 13.660107
SDG 601.477673
SEK 11.057569
SGD 1.345855
SHP 0.789317
SLE 22.574973
SLL 20969.504736
SOS 571.492896
SRD 35.405018
STD 20697.981008
SVC 8.749543
SYP 2512.529858
SZL 18.109726
THB 34.714996
TJS 10.649728
TMT 3.5
TND 3.164995
TOP 2.342097
TRY 34.496503
TTD 6.787668
TWD 32.563503
TZS 2652.35897
UAH 41.282881
UGX 3694.533288
UYU 42.610626
UZS 12880.000006
VES 46.002271
VND 25422.5
VUV 118.722009
WST 2.791591
XAF 623.500672
XAG 0.032387
XAU 0.000374
XCD 2.70255
XDR 0.762793
XOF 619.500595
XPF 113.650183
YER 249.924982
ZAR 18.08805
ZMK 9001.213194
ZMW 27.574604
ZWL 321.999592
  • CMSC

    0.1200

    24.64

    +0.49%

  • CMSD

    0.1850

    24.445

    +0.76%

  • BCC

    2.9500

    140.36

    +2.1%

  • SCS

    -0.0300

    13.04

    -0.23%

  • NGG

    -0.1700

    63.1

    -0.27%

  • GSK

    0.3500

    33.7

    +1.04%

  • RIO

    0.1800

    62.57

    +0.29%

  • RBGPF

    -0.5000

    59.69

    -0.84%

  • BTI

    -0.1000

    36.98

    -0.27%

  • JRI

    0.0000

    13.23

    0%

  • AZN

    1.0600

    64.26

    +1.65%

  • RYCEF

    0.1800

    6.79

    +2.65%

  • BCE

    -0.3200

    26.68

    -1.2%

  • BP

    0.4400

    29.52

    +1.49%

  • RELX

    0.6500

    45.76

    +1.42%

  • VOD

    -0.1000

    8.84

    -1.13%

Ukraine tells West not to 'panic' over Russian troop buildup
Ukraine tells West not to 'panic' over Russian troop buildup

Ukraine tells West not to 'panic' over Russian troop buildup

President Volodymyr Zelensky on Friday called on Western leaders to avoid stirring "panic" as Ukraine faces a Russian troop buildup on the border that has sparked fears of an invasion.

Text size:

His plea came just after a phone call between French President Emmanuel Macron and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, who confirmed there was appetite for more negotiations to de-escalate ratcheting tensions.

Russia denies any plans to invade but has demanded wide-ranging security guarantees from the West, including that Ukraine never be allowed to join NATO.

Those demands have been the subject of intensive negotiations, with the West warning of far-reaching consequences if diplomacy fails and Russia attacks.

"We don't need this panic," Zelensky told a news conference with foreign media, insisting he wanted to avoid hurting his country's already battered economy.

"There are signals even from respected leaders of states, they just say that tomorrow there will be war. This is panic -- how much does it cost for our state?," he asked.

NATO and the United States this week delivered responses to Moscow's demands, which Putin told Macron on Friday had fallen short of Russia's expectations, the Kremlin said.

"The US and NATO responses did not take into account Russia's fundamental concerns including preventing NATO's expansion," Putin said, according to the Kremlin's readout of the call.

He added that the West had ignored the "key question", that no country should strengthen its security at the expense of others, adding Russia would "carefully study" the responses "after which it will decide on further actions".

A French official said the Russian leader had "expressed no offensive plans and said he wanted to continue the talks with France and our allies".

In a sign of tensions however Russia announced Friday evening it had added several EU officials to a list of people banned from entering the country saying they were responsible for "anti-Russian policies".

- 'Dialogue' with separatists -

Friday's phone call followed what the Elysee described as "positive" talks in Paris this week between Russia and Ukraine -- as well as France and Germany.

The meetings produced the first joint written statement on the conflict in eastern Ukraine signed up to by Moscow and Kyiv since 2019.

Representatives agreed to preserve a ceasefire in eastern Ukraine -- where pro-Moscow separatists declared breakaway regions -- and to hold new talks in Berlin in February.

Putin on Friday told Macron it was important for Ukrainian authorities to establish "direct dialogue" with separatist leaders.

"Taking into account the results of the meeting" in Paris, the Kremlin said, "the mood for further work of Russia and France in this format was confirmed".

Zelensky on Friday meanwhile called on Russia to prove it has no intention of invading after deploying an estimated 100,000 troops around the ex-Soviet country.

"They say this openly, in different media, from different officials -- so they could at least show some steps to prove it," he said.

NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg warned Russia could conduct a "wide range" of aggressive acts against Ukraine -- citing cyber attacks and "coup efforts" -- but said the window was still open to a peaceful and negotiated resolution.

Russia's demands, delivered last month, include the ban on NATO membership for Ukraine but also a pullback of NATO forces deployed to Eastern European and ex-Soviet countries that joined the alliance after the Cold War.

Washington replied in coordination with NATO allies this week, saying Ukraine had the right to determine its own allies but offering Russia talks on missile placements and other mutual concerns.

- Threat to key pipeline -

In tandem with the diplomacy, the West has upped its threats of possible action in response to an invasion, with the United States and Germany warning that a major gas pipeline was at stake.

The Nord Stream 2 pipeline, which Germany has defiantly built despite criticism by the United States and Eastern Europeans, will more than double supplies of Russian natural gas to Europe's largest economy.

US President Joe Biden spoke Thursday by telephone with Zelensky and said the United States was considering economic support after $650 million in military assistance over the past year.

Ukrainian officials have looked to play down fears of an invasion, but have welcomed Western shows of support.

NATO has put 8,500 troops on standby over the Ukraine crisis and Western backers have stepped up shipments of military aid to the country.

Russia, which has a fraught historical relationship with Ukraine, has fuelled an insurgency in the former Soviet republic's east that has killed more than 13,000 people since 2014.

burs-del-jbr/del/bp

S.Jordan--TFWP