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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who is facing a sharp rise in violence in and around Russian-backed rebel-held territory and increasingly alarming warnings that Russia plans to attack, called on Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday for a meeting. and for striving for a solution to the crisis.
“I do not know what the president of the Russian Federation wants, so I propose a meeting,” Zelenskyy told a security conference in Munich, where he also met with US Vice President Kamala Harris. Mr Zelenskyy said Russia could choose the location of the talks.
“Ukraine will continue to pursue only the diplomatic path for the sake of a peaceful solution,” he said.
The Kremlin has not responded.
Mr Zelensky spoke hours after separatist leaders in eastern Ukraine ordered a full-scale military mobilization on Saturday, as Western leaders issued increasingly alarming warnings that a Russian invasion of its neighbor seemed imminent.
Germany and Austria, meanwhile, have told their citizens to leave Ukraine. The German airline Lufthansa canceled flights to the capital Kiev and Odessa, a Black Sea port that could be a key target in the event of an attack.
The NATO Liaison Office in Kiev said it was relocating its personnel to Brussels and the western Ukrainian city of Lviv. Meanwhile, senior Ukrainian military officials were targeted by a grenade during a tour of the nearly eight-year-old separatist conflict front in eastern Ukraine.
Officials entered a shelter to protect themselves from the bombs before leaving the area, according to an Associated Press reporter who was with them.
Violence in eastern Ukraine has escalated in recent days as Ukraine and the two rebel-held regions accused each other of escalating. Russia said Saturday that at least two shells fired by a government-controlled part of eastern Ukraine fell across the border, but Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba dismissed the claim as “a false statement.”
Sporadic violence has erupted for years along the line separating Ukrainian forces from Russian-backed rebels, but recent bombings could spark a full-scale war.
For months, the United States and many European countries have been saying that Russia, which has relocated some 150,000 troops near the border with Ukraine, is trying to create pretexts to attack.
“They are ready to strike,” US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said during a visit to Lithuania on Saturday.
Ms. Harris said at the beginning of her meeting with Mr. Zelenskyy that the world was at “a turning point in history.”
Ms Harris said the United States would strengthen NATO’s eastern flank to curb further Russian military progress, in parallel with warnings of sanctions.
“National borders must not be changed by force,” Harris told a security conference in Munich.
“We have prepared economic measures that will be swift, serious and coordinated,” she said. “We will target Russia’s major financial institutions and industries.”
US President Joe Biden said on Friday that based on the latest information from US intelligence agencies, he was “convinced” that Russian President Vladimir Putin had decided to intervene in Ukraine and attack the capital.
“At the moment, I am convinced that he has made the decision,” said Biden. “We have reason to believe this.” He reiterated that the attack could take place in the “coming days”.
Underscoring the West’s concerns about an imminent invasion, a US defense official said about 40% to 50% of the ground forces deployed near the Ukrainian border had been moved to attack positions closer to the border.
The defense official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss US internal military assessments.
The official also said that the number of Russian ground units known as tactical groups of battalions in the border area had gone up to 125, from 83 two weeks ago. Each group has 750 to 1000 soldiers.
But Western leaders insist there is still room for diplomatic efforts.
“We hope he (Putin) withdraws from the brink of conflict,” Mr Austin said, adding that an attack on Ukraine could be avoided.
“History is not written yet: there is another path that the Russian government can choose at any time,” German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said after a meeting of Western foreign ministers.
“Our common message to them is very clear: Do not make this fatal mistake. Pull the bodies. Lets talk.”
Lines of communication between Moscow and the West remain open: US and Russian defense chiefs spoke on Friday. French President Emmanuel Macron plans a phone call with Mr Putin on Sunday. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov have agreed to meet next week./VOA
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