Russia-Ukraine crisis Live Updates: US says over 1.5 lakh Russian troops encircle Kyiv

indianexpress.com

Russia's top diplomat has advised President Vladimir Putin to keep talking with the West on Moscow's security demands, a signal from the Kremlin that it intends to continue diplomatic efforts amid US warnings of an imminent Russian invasion of Ukraine. Moscow wanted guarantees from the West that NATO won't allow Ukraine and other former Soviet countries to join as members, and that the alliance will halt weapons deployments to Ukraine and roll back its forces from Eastern Europe, the demands flatly rejected by the West. The US and its NATO allies have repeatedly warned that Russia will pay a high price for any invasion—but they have sometimes struggled to present a united front.