French President Emmanuel Macron spoke to his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on Thursday amid frantic diplomatic efforts to defuse the crisis over Ukraine. Earlier, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan reaffirmed his offer to host a Ukraine-Russia crisis summit during a visit to Kyiv.
Read below to follow the day's events as they unfolded on our liveblog.
21:35 Paris time
Macron discusses status of Donbass in calls with Putin and Zelensky
French President Emmanuel Macron held separate talks with the Russian and Ukrainian leaders to try to make progress on the status of the Donbass region as part of efforts to defuse tensions, his office has said in a statement.
The Elysée Palace said Macron underscored to both Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelensky the importance of discussing the conditions to reach strategic balance in Europe, in order to reduce tension on the ground and guarantee security on the continent.
The French presidency said Macron stressed the need to "accelerate" the peace process in Ukraine's Donbass, where Moscow has supported pro-Russia separatists since 2014.
21:15 Paris time
Putin raises Ukraine's 'provocative' actions in phone call with Macron
Russian President Vladimir Putin and his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron discussed Ukraine tensions and Moscow's demand for security guarantees in their third phone call in a week on Thursday, the Kremlin has said.
Moscow said the pair discussed "the situation around Ukraine" and Russia's demand for "long-term" security guarantees and that Putin "again drew attention to the provocative statements and actions of the Kyiv leadership".
The Elysée Palace has yet to comment on the exchange.
20:05 Paris time
US intelligence: Russia may stage video to create pretext for war
US intelligence officials believe Russia has formed a plan to fabricate a pretext for an invasion of Ukraine, potentially by producing propaganda videos showing a staged attack, a senior Biden administration official has told Reuters.
Russia is formulating several options to give it an excuse for an invasion of Ukraine, the official said. One is a fabricated video showing the graphic aftermath of an explosion, including equipment appearing to belong to Ukraine or allied nations, according to the official, who requested anonymity.
"The video will be released to underscore a threat to Russia's security and to underpin military operations," said the official, adding that Washington is publicizing the specific allegation in order to "dissuade" Russia from following through with such plans.
US Deputy National Security Advisor Jonathan Finer elaborated on the allegations in a separate interview, this one with MSNBC: "We don't know definitively that this is the route they (Russia) are going to take, but we know that this is an option under consideration," Finer told the US broadcaster. It "would involve actors playing mourners for people who are killed in an event that they (Russia) would have created themselves... (and) deployment of corpses to represent bodies purportedly killed," he added.
Russia has accused the United States of ramping up tensions and ignoring Moscow's calls to ease a standoff over Ukraine. On Wednesday, Washington announced it would send nearly 3,000 extra troops to bolster NATO forces in Poland and Romania.
19:10 Paris time
Russia ban on German broadcaster 'has no basis whatsoever'
Germany's foreign ministry has reacted to Russia's decision to shut down the operations of German broadcaster Deutsche Welle, describing the move as unfounded and a burden on relations between the two countries.
"The measures that the Russian government announced today against Deutsche Welle have no basis whatsoever and represent a renewed strain on German-Russian relations," a spokesperson for the ministry said in a statement.
Moscow's decision was in response to Berlin's ban on Russian broadcaster RT DE on Wednesday. But the German foreign ministry said it rejected the comparison between Deutsche Welle and the broadcaster RT DE.
"If these measures are actually implemented, this would limit free reporting by independent journalists in Russia, which is particularly important in politically tense times," the spokesperson added
18:25 Paris time
Media: US intelligence says Russia plans to fabricate pretext for Ukraine attack
The United States has intelligence accusing Russia of a plan to fabricate a pretext for an invasion of Ukraine, two leading US newspapers have reported, citing people familiar with the matter.
The New York Times reported that Russia's plan involves using a faked video involved staging and filming a fabricated attack by the Ukrainian military either on Russian territory or against Russian-speaking people in eastern Ukraine.
The Washington Post reported that details of the plan have been declassified by US intelligence and are expected to be revealed Thursday.
17:10 Paris time
Ukraine's Zelensky welcomes Turkish mediation offer
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has welcomed an offer from the visiting Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan to mediate in Kyiv's stand-off with Moscow and to host peace talks.
Zelensky was speaking alongside Erdogan in Kyiv after the two countries signed a free trade deal and other agreements.
"I would like to thank President Erdogan for his initiative to become a mediator between Ukraine and Russia on the way to ending the war," he said. "In Ukraine, we are ready to do our best on all platforms and in all formats."
Earlier, Erdogan said Turkey was "ready to do its part to resolve the crisis between two friendly countries that it neighbours in the Black Sea". He added: "I said during talks again that we could happily host a summit at the leaders' level, or host technical-level discussions."
16:06 Paris time
EU working on joint response to Russian demands
The European Union is working on a joint response to a letter many of its member countries received from Russia earlier this week asking for security guarantees, EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has said.
"We are working on the coordination of the response...We are united in the European Union and therefore it is clear that the response will mirror, will reflect that unity," von der Leyen told reporters on a visit in Helsinki.
Earlier this week, Russia wrote to NATO and to members of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, including Finland, asking for legally binding security guarantees.
"First and foremost Russia needs to de-escalate," said Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin, with whom von der Leyen met in Helsinki. Finland, which shares the EU's longest external border with Russia and is not a NATO member, has looked with growing concern at its neighbour's increasing aggressiveness.
15:48 Paris time
France discusses three-way talks with Germany and Poland
French President Emmanuel Macron's office said in a statement that he and Polish President Andrzej Duda had discussed the possibility of a three-way meeting between Poland, Germany, and France in Berlin in coming days to discuss the situation in Ukraine.
The Elysée Palace also said Duda offered support to Macron's efforts to de-escalate tensions in Ukraine.
11:40 Paris time
French foreign minister says offer to send troops to Romania was not a provocation
France's offer to send troops to Romania as part of wider NATO plans to bolster its ranks on the eastern flank were not meant to provoke Russia, Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said on Thursday.
Speaking after meeting foreign ministers from Eastern Europe and the Baltic states in Bucharest, both Le Drian and his Romanian counterpart Bogdan Aurescu said France and NATO were doing everything to convince Russia to choose dialogue rather than escalation.
The deployment of additional US troops in Eastern Europe was escalating tensions in the region, the Kremlin said on Thursday, after Washington said it would send 3,000 extra troops to Poland and Romania.
10:25 Paris time
US moves 3,000 troops to send message to Putin
FRANCE 24's correspondent in Brussels, Dave Keating put the move in context: "What we are talking about here is 2,000 troops moving from the US to Germany and Poland and 1,000 troops moving from Germany to Romania. This is a pretty small amount both compared to the number of American soldiers that are in Europe on any given day and compared to the more than 100,000 troops that Russia has amassed at Ukraine's border."
"It is meant to be symbolic and to send a message to President Vladimir Putin that the US is serious about defending NATO members and it is also meant as a symbol to NATO members in Eastern Europe who are getting very anxious. But the US has been very clear that these troops are not intended to defend Ukraine if Ukraine is invaded because it is not a NATO member," he said.
09:55 Paris time
Russian defence minister in Belarus ahead of joint drills
Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu arrived in Belarus on Thursday to inspect Russian and Belarusian troops' preparations for joint drills this month, the Interfax news agency reported, amid a tense standoff with the West over neighbouring Ukraine.
Shoigu will also meet Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, Interfax quoted the ministry as saying.
Russia has moved an undisclosed number of troops and military hardware to Belarus, which also borders Ukraine, for the February 10-20 joint drills, saying it will withdraw them afterwards.
Moscow has denied it plans to launch an attack on Ukraine, while also demanding guarantees from the United States and NATO that Kyiv would not be allowed to join the military alliance.
08:40 Paris time
Ukraine faces ‘massive displacement’ if conflict escalates: NGO
As tensions soar over Russia’s military build-up near the Ukraine border, the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) warned on Thursday that "up to two million people living in a 20-kilometre zone on both sides of the contact line in eastern Ukraine would be under increased threat of violence and displacement if the conflict escalates".
"The lives and safety of millions of people in eastern Ukraine hang in the balance as we wait for a political breakthrough to the current impasse," Jan Egeland, Secretary General of the NRC, said in a statement after visiting the region.
The organisation said that over 850,000 people are already internally displaced and three million rely on humanitarian assistance.
“Active hostilities would dramatically worsen the existing humanitarian situation, where needs are already high from years of violence," it said.
08:05 Paris time
Erdogan hopes to play mediator with Russia during Ukraine visit
President Tayyip Erdogan is set to visit his counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky in Ukraine on Thursday after pitching Turkey as a mediator to ease tensions with Russia.
On Wednesday, Ankara and Kyiv said they would sign a free trade agreement and other deals.
Erdogan’s trip comes after visits by leaders of NATO members Britain, Poland, and the Netherlands to Kyiv amid the standoff. Turkey has good ties with Kyiv and Moscow but has said it would do what is necessary as a NATO member if Russia invades.
Ankara offered in November to help ease mounting tensions, and last month Turkish diplomatic sources said both Russia and Ukraine were open to the idea.
07:22 Paris time
No indication for now that Russia is ready to take action: French Foreign Minister
There are no indications at this stage to suggest that Russia is ready to take action in Ukraine, French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian told France 2 Television on Wednesday.
Le Drian will hold talks on the crisis in Bucharest on Thursday with nine ministers from Eastern Europe and the Baltic states, including Poland, the Czech Republic, and Estonia.
Speaking to the Romanian parliament on Wednesday to mark the 15 years since it joined the European Union, Le Drian said Paris wanted to show its solidarity and underscore the EU's unity after Russia had chosen to act as a destabilising power.
02:38 Paris time
Biden and Macron pledge to coordinate response to Russia's military buildup
In a call made shortly after Macron said he might visit Russia to seek a diplomatic solution, the French leader and Biden "affirmed their support for Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity," the White House said.
They also reviewed "ongoing coordination on both diplomacy and preparations to impose swift and severe economic costs on Russia should it further invade Ukraine," a statement said.
"President Biden and President Macron agreed their teams will stay in close touch, including in consultation with NATO allies and EU partners, on our coordinated and comprehensive approach to managing these issues."
Russia has deployed more than 100,000 heavily armed troops around Ukraine. The United States and its allies accuse Moscow of preparing to invade the former Soviet republic, which has ambitions of joining Western institutions, including NATO.
Moscow says the troops are there because of threats from the United States and its allies.
(FRANCE 24 with AFP, REUTERS)
