Ukraine

Efforts to defuse the crisis in Ukraine via a frenzy of telephone diplomacy failed to ease tensions Saturday, with US President Joe Biden warning that Russia faces "swift and severe costs" if its troops carry out an invasion.

Frankolovo – President Borut Pahor called for a peaceful solution to the crisis in north-eastern Europe, saying that peace should be protected and everything should be done for dialogue to continue, as the addressed a memorial ceremony in Frankolovo on Saturday.

Ljubljana – Prime Minister Janez Janša said on Saturday that Slovenia was monitoring with concern the concentration of the Russian troops on the border with Ukraine. He spoke on the phone with Ukrainian counterpart Denis Shmygal to “express support for Ukraine’s territorial integrity and the right of every country to choose its alliance.”

Ljubljana – The Foreign Ministry has advised Slovenian citizens against travelling to Ukraine due to the deteriorating security situation in the country. Citizens who are currently in Ukraine are meanwhile advised to “leave the country without hesitation in a safe manner”.

US President Joe Biden held talks with Allied leaders yesterday. The participants in the conversation expressed concern over the accumulation of Russian troops around Ukraine and expressed a desire for a diplomatic solution to the crisis, Reuters reported, citing the White House.

The United States and the European Union are almost ready with a comprehensive package of sanctions that Russia will impose if it invades Ukraine, Reuters reported, citing US and European official sources.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on on Feb. 12 accused the United States of seeking to provoke a conflict in Ukraine, during a call with his US counterpart Antony Blinken, the Russian foreign ministry said.

This was stated by the Deputy Chief of the People's Militia of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic (DNR), Eduard Basurin.
"According to our information, the Armed Forces of Ukraine are carrying out activities that we consider preparations for offensive operations," Basurin wrote on the Telegram channel of the DNR militia.

According to world media, the Russians are deploying troops in the western part of the country and in Belarus.
CNN points out that this continued pressure on Ukraine from three directions has heightened fears that the Kremlin is indeed planning an invasion.

Bulgaria's position on tensions between Russia and Ukraine is unequivocal, Prime Minister Kirill Petkov told the BBC in response to a question about Russian President Vladimir Putin's attempts to find weaknesses among NATO members: