WASHINGTON - US President Joe Biden on Tuesday announced "the first tranche" of sanctions against Russia after Moscow deployed troops in the Lugansk and Donetsk regions.

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday signed two decrees, recognizing "the Lugansk People's Republic" and "the Donetsk People's Republic" as "independent and sovereign" states, and later ordered troops to enter the regions to conduct peacekeeping operations.

Lugansk and Donetsk declared independence following a vote during the height of armed conflict with Kiev in 2014. Ukraine refused to recognize their self-proclaimed status.

Calling Russia's move "the beginning of a Russian invasion of Ukraine," Biden said in remarks delivered from the White House that his administration will impose sanctions on two Russian financial institutions - the VEB and the country's military bank -- as well as on Russia's sovereign debt and three individuals.

He explained that the measure "means we've cut off Russia's government from Western financing. It can no longer raise money from the West and cannot trade in its new debt on our markets or European markets either."

Biden also mentioned the suspension of the Nord Stream 2 natural gas pipeline project between Russia and Germany, which Berlin announced earlier in the day. Additional sanctions will be followed if the situation escalates, he said.

The president also announced movements of US troops to the three Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, all of which are members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and share borders with Russia.

Biden said that the United States has "no intention of fighting Russia" but will "abide by" its commitments to NATO.

Following Moscow's recognition of Lugansk and Donetsk, Biden signed an executive order on Monday banning Americans from doing businesses in the two regions.

On Tuesday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken called off a meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov scheduled for Thursday.

During a joint press briefing at the State Department with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba, Blinken said it makes little sense to hold a meeting with Lavrov following the Russian moves.

MOSCOW -- The Russian Federation Council, or the upper house of parliament, on Tuesday approved Russian President Vladimir Putin's request for the use of military abroad.

"Senators unanimously supported the adoption of the relevant Resolution," said a statement published on the website of the Federation Council.

Putin on Tuesday submitted a proposal that the Federation Council approve a resolution authorizing the use of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation abroad on the basis of the generally accepted principles and norms of international law, according to the Kremlin.

Earlier in the day, Russia's State Duma, the lower house of parliament, ratified the treaties on friendship, cooperation and mutual assistance with "the Lugansk People's Republic (LPR)" and "the Donetsk People's Republic (DPR)" during a plenary session.

Putin inked the treaties on Monday, together with the heads of the LPR and DPR. The president also signed two decrees recognizing the LPR and the DPR as independent and sovereign states on Monday.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said early Tuesday that Kiev has been urging the international community to hold emergency talks over Russia's decision on the status of Donetsk and Lugansk regions in eastern Ukraine.

Talks at all levels welcomed, says Moscow as Kyiv mulls cutting ties

The Kremlin said on Tuesday it remained open to all diplomatic contacts over Ukraine and that any action by Kyiv to cut ties with Moscow would worsen an already tense situation.

"The Russian side remains open at all levels for diplomatic contacts… Everything depends on our opponents," Reuters quoted Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov as saying, adding that any move by Kyiv to cut its official ties with Moscow would be "an extremely undesirable scenario that would make everything even more difficult".

Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky on Tuesday demanded an immediate halt to the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline and Kyiv considered severing relations with Moscow in response to its recognition of two regions.

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday ordered the military to act as peacekeepers in "the Lugansk People's Republic (LPR)"and "the Donetsk People's Republic (DPR)" in eastern Ukraine, just hours after he recognized the regions as independent.

In two official decrees, Putin instructed the defense ministry to assume "the function of peacekeeping" in the Donetsk and Lugansk regions.

The Russian leader also demanded that Ukraine end military operations against militia in the two regions, or face more possible bloodshed.

"Otherwise, all responsibility for the possible continuation of bloodshed will be fully on the conscience of the regime in power in Ukraine."

After Putin's decision, Russia's ambassador to the United Nations Vassily Nebenzia said on Monday that eastern Ukraine had been on the brink of a new "Ukrainian military adventure" that Russia could not allow.

He also warned Western powers to "think twice" and not worsen the situation in Ukraine. He was speaking at an emergency meeting of the Security Council.

The United States on Monday announced financial sanctions against Russia for its decision and warned more were ready if necessary. US President Joe Biden will issue more orders on this issue, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said.

In an interview with Russian state news agency TASS, French expert Dmitry de Koshko said the US sanctions against Russia will cause the most pain in Europe.

Energy sector

De Koshko said that if the US imposes more sanctions on Russia, especially in the energy sector with any action against the Nord Stream 2 project, Europe "will eventually have to pay more for energy".

According to the expert, US sanctions "may complicate the operations of European business".

Mikhail Pogrebinsky, director of the Kyiv Center for Political Studies and Conflictology, a think tank in the Ukrainian capital, said Europe's ignorance of the regional situation and refusal to publicly criticize Kyiv has led to Russia's decision.

Georgy Chizhov, who heads the European Dialogue expert group, agrees. He said a slow escalation of the crisis that would last for a long time appears to be the conditionally likely scenario.

So far, no one is giving in, said Ivan Timofeev, the director of programs at the Russian International Affairs Council.

French President Emmanuel Macron on Monday condemned the Kremlin's move to recognize the DPR and the LPR, urging the European Union to agree to new sanctions against Moscow.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said on Tuesday that Germany has taken steps to halt the process of certifying the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline from Russia.

The EU said on Tuesday that it wants to target banks financing Russian operations in the Donetsk and Lugansk regions, and hit Moscow's access to European financial markets. The proposals were expected to be formally submitted later on Tuesday.

Xinhua and Agencies contributed to this story.

BEIJING - Chinese Foreign Ministry on Tuesday called on all parties on the Ukraine issue to remain calm, ease tensions and resolve differences through dialogue and negotiation.

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin made the remarks at a daily press briefing.

Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi had a telephone conversation with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken earlier in the day, expounding China's stance on the Ukraine crisis.

"China is concerned about the evolving situation in Ukraine, and China's position on the Ukraine issue is consistent," the spokesperson quoted the foreign minister as saying, noting that the legitimate security concerns of any country should be respected, and the purposes and principles of the UN Charter should be upheld.

He said the current situation in the Ukraine crisis is closely related to the delay in the effective implementation of the new Minsk agreement, and China will continue to make contacts with all relevant parties according to the merits of the matter itself.

China once again calls on all parties to exercise restraint, realize the importance of implementing the "indivisibility of security" principle, ease tensions and resolve differences through dialogue and negotiation as the situation in Ukraine is getting worse, the spokesperson said.

China's ambassador to the United Nations on Monday called for a diplomatic solution and peaceful means to solve international disputes.

"China has been paying close attention to the latest development of the situation in Ukraine," Zhang Jun, China's permanent representative to the UN, said at a Security Council meeting on Ukraine. "At present, all parties concerned must exercise restraint, and avoid any action that may fuel tensions."

"We welcome and encourage every effort for a diplomatic solution, and call on all parties concerned to continue dialogue and consultation, and seek reasonable solutions to address each other's concerns on the basis of equality and mutual respect," Zhang said.

Zhang said the current situation in Ukraine is a result of many complex factors. "China always makes its own position according to the merits of the matter itself. We believe that all countries should solve international disputes by peaceful means in line with the purposes and principles of the UN Charter," he said.

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday signed two decrees recognizing the "Lugansk People's Republic" and the "Donetsk People's Republic" as independent and sovereign states. He later instructed Russian armed forces to ensure peace in the two areas.

KYIV - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said early Tuesday that Kyiv has been urging the international community to hold emergency talks over Russia's decision on the status of Donetsk and Lugansk regions in eastern Ukraine.

Ukraine has been calling for an emergency summit of the Normandy Format, a meeting of the United Nations Security Council, and a special meeting of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe to address the issue, Zelensky said in a video address to the nation published on Facebook.

"The latest actions of the Russian Federation are a violation of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of our state. Russia is solely responsible for the consequences of such decisions," Zelensky said.

That Moscow recognized Luhansk and Donetsk regions as independent entities reflected "Russia's unilateral withdrawal from the Minsk agreements and ignoring the decisions of the Normandy Four," Zelensky said.

Emphasizing that kyiv is committed to a peaceful and diplomatic solution to the ongoing crisis, Zelensky said, "we will not give anything to anyone, and we are sure of that."

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday signed two decrees recognizing "the Lugansk People's Republic (LPR)" and "the Donetsk People's Republic (DPR)" as independent and sovereign states.

At a ceremony held in the Kremlin, Putin also inked the Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation and Mutual Assistance between Russia and the LPR and the DPR respectively with the heads of the two "republics", a Kremlin statement said.

"I consider it necessary to make a long overdue decision -- to immediately recognize the independence and sovereignty of the DPR and the LPR," Putin said in a televised address to the nation.

"Russia has done everything to preserve the territorial integrity of Ukraine" by fighting for the implementation of 2015 Minsk agreements, but all the efforts ended up in vain, he told the public.

According to Putin, nearly everyday there is Ukrainian shelling of settlements in Donbass and "there is no end in sight".

The crisis of European security occurred due to the eastward expansion of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), which has led to the loss of mutual trust with Russia, Putin stressed.

He called it just "a matter of time" for NATO to accept Ukraine as a member state and then build facilities on its territory so that the level of military threats to Russia will rise dramatically.

As Moscow asked the United States and NATO for security guarantees, the Western countries precisely ignored Russia's fundamental concerns and nothing has changed in their position, Putin noted.

The Normandy Format, established in 2014, is a diplomatic group of senior representatives from Ukraine, Germany, Russia and France formed to resolve the conflict in eastern Ukraine.

The Minsk agreements, reached in September 2014 and February 2015, outline the steps needed to end the conflict between the Ukrainian government troops and local armed groups in Donbass.

UNITED NATIONS - United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Monday expressed his deep concern over Russia's decision on the status of Donetsk and Lugansk of Ukraine.

The secretary-general is "greatly concerned" by the decision by the Russian Federation related to the status of certain areas of Donetsk and Lugansk regions of Ukraine, said Stephane Dujarric, spokesperson for the UN chief.

Through a statement attributable to Dujarric, the UN chief called for "peaceful settlement" of the conflict in eastern Ukraine, in accordance with the Minsk Agreements, as endorsed by the Security Council in resolution 2202 (2015).

"The secretary-general considers the decision of the Russian Federation to be a violation of the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine and inconsistent with the principles of the Charter of the United Nations," said the statement.

The United Nations, in line with the relevant General Assembly resolutions, remains "fully supportive of" the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of Ukraine, within its internationally recognized borders, according to the statement.

"The secretary-general urges all relevant actors to focus their efforts on ensuring an immediate cessation of hostilities, protection of civilians and civilian infrastructure, preventing any actions and statements that may further escalate the dangerous situation in and around Ukraine and prioritizing diplomacy to address all issues peacefully," it added.

At the day's press briefing, Dujarric said, "The secretary-general is greatly concerned with the latest reports of increased ceasefire violations, including the use of heavy weapons across the contact line in eastern Ukraine."

"We are particularly concerned regarding reports of civilian casualties, targeting of critical civilian infrastructure and evacuations," Dujarric said.

"We underline our call for an immediate cessation of hostilities, maximum restraint and for all parties to avoid any actions and statements that would escalate tensions further. All issues must be addressed through diplomacy," the spokesperson added.

Russian President Vladimir Putin announced on Monday that he had signed a decree recognizing "the Lugansk People's Republic (LPR)" and "the Donetsk People's Republic (DPR)" as independent and sovereign states.

BRUSSELS - European Union leaders said Monday that the bloc will react with sanctions against those involved in Russia's recognition of eastern Ukraine's Lugansk and Donetsk regions as independent states.

In a press statement, European Council President Charles Michel and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said they condemn the decision by Russia to recognize the two regions as "independent entities".

"This step is a blatant violation of international law as well as of the Minsk agreements," said the statement. "The Union will react with sanctions against those involved in this illegal act."

The announcement came after Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree recognizing "Lugansk People's Republic (LPR)" & "Donetsk People's Republic (DPR)" as independent states on Monday night.

Last week, Russia's State Duma, the lower house of the country's parliament, gave the green light to a bill recognizing the Luhansk and Donetsk republics in east Ukraine's breakaway region of Donbass as independent and sovereign states.

Hours before the announcement of Russia's recognition of the two regions, the European Union's foreign policy chief Josep Borell had warned of sanctions on Russia should it recognize the regions in eastern Ukraine.

"Certainly, if there is annexation there will be sanctions, and if there is recognition I will put the sanctions on the table and the ministers will decide," Borell said during a press conference after a meeting of the bloc's foreign ministers in Brussels.

Diplomacy put into high gear as leaders press for more talks

Ukraine and Russia called on Sunday for intensified diplomatic efforts to avert an all-out war, but blamed each other for a sharp escalation in shelling on Ukraine's front line with militia in east Ukraine's breakaway region of Donbass.

After separate calls with France's President Emmanuel Macron, Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky pressed for more talks.

During a 105-minute discussion with Macron, Putin said the cause of the escalation "is provocations carried out by the Ukrainian security forces", according to a statement by the Kremlin.

Moscow has demanded that NATO permanently rule out Ukraine's bid for membership of the trans-Atlantic alliance and the withdrawal of Western forces that have been deployed in Eastern Europe since the end of the Cold War.

According to the Russian state media TASS news agency, Putin "once again stressed the necessity for the United States and NATO to take Russia's demands on ensuring security guarantees seriously and to respond to them in a concrete and substantive manner".

But he added that he and Macron "believe it is important to intensify efforts to find solutions through diplomatic means".

Macron's office also said the two had agreed on "the need to favor a diplomatic solution to the ongoing crisis and to do everything to achieve one", adding that both countries' foreign ministers would meet in the coming days.

For Ukraine's part, Zelensky called for an immediate cease-fire and the resumption of talks under the Trilateral Contact Group of Russia, Ukraine, and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe.

"We stand for intensifying the peace process," he tweeted, adding that he had informed Macron about "new provocative shelling" on the front line between Ukrainian forces and militants from two self-proclaimed republics in the Donbass region.

High-stakes calls

Macron's office dubbed the calls "the last possible and necessary efforts to avoid a major conflict in Ukraine" amid Washington's warning that an invasion is imminent.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken claimed that Russia remained "on the brink" of invading Ukraine, but promised that President Joe Biden was ready to talk to Putin and that Washington would seek a diplomatic solution until Russian "tanks are actually rolling".

Agence France-Presse reported that Putin and Biden have agreed to a summit proposed by France－but only if Moscow does not invade Ukraine, France and the US have said.

However, the Kremlin later warned that there are no concrete plans for a summit between the Russian and US leaders.

Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov said: "It's premature to talk about any specific plans for organizing any kind of summits", adding that no "concrete plans" had been put in place.

He also said Putin would imminently address an extraordinary session of Russia's Security Council.

The possible breakthrough came after the Belarus Defense Ministry said Putin and Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko had decided to "continue inspections", citing increased military activity on their shared borders and an alleged "escalation" in eastern Ukraine.

Moscow had previously said the 30,000 troops it has in Belarus were simply carrying out readiness drills with its ally, which were due to end on Sunday, allowing the Russians to head back to their bases.

The announcement by Belarus will be seen as a further tightening of the screws on Ukraine, already facing increased shelling from militia from the self-proclaimed republics and a force of what Western capitals say is more than 150,000 Russian personnel on its borders.

More than 21,000 refugees from the Donbass region have crossed the Russian border in the southern Rostov region over the past 24 hours, TASS reported on Monday.

Agencies contributed to this story.

WASHINGTON - White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Monday that US President Joe Biden will soon sign an executive order banning Americans from doing business in the two Ukrainian regions that Russia has recognized as independent states.

"President Biden will soon issue an Executive Order that will prohibit new investment, trade, and financing by US persons to, from, or in the so-called DNR and LNR regions of Ukraine," Psaki said in the statement, using the Russian abbreviation of the "Donetsk People's Republic" and the "Lugansk People's Republic," two self-declared republics founded by anti-government militia groups in Ukraine's Donetsk and Lugansk oblasts during the height of the armed conflicts in eastern Ukraine in 2014.

"This E.O. will also provide authority to impose sanctions on any person determined to operate in those areas of Ukraine," said Psaki. "The Departments of State and Treasury will have additional details shortly. We will also soon announce additional measures related to today's blatant violation of Russia's international commitments."

The press secretary said the executive order is separate from the economic sanctions the United States is preparing to impose on Russia if it invades Ukraine. "We are continuing to closely consult with Allies and partners, including Ukraine, on next steps and on Russia's ongoing escalation along the border with Ukraine."

The White House's statement came shortly after Russian President Vladimir Putin announced that he had signed a decree recognizing the DNR and the LNR as independent and sovereign states. The European Union also announced its sanctions.

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday signed two decrees recognizing "the Lugansk People's Republic (LPR)" and "the Donetsk People's Republic (DPR)" as independent and sovereign states.

At a ceremony held in the Kremlin, Putin also inked the Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation and Mutual Assistance between Russia and the LPR and the DPR respectively with the heads of the two "republics," a Kremlin statement said.

"I consider it necessary to make a long overdue decision -- to immediately recognize the independence and sovereignty of the DPR and the LPR," Putin said in a televised address to the nation.

"Russia has done everything to preserve the territorial integrity of Ukraine" by fighting for the implementation of 2015 Minsk agreements, but all the efforts ended up in vain, he told the public.

According to Putin, nearly everyday there is Ukrainian shelling of settlements in Donbass and "there is no end in sight."

The crisis of European security occurred due to the eastward expansion of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), which has led to the loss of mutual trust with Russia, Putin stressed.

He called it just "a matter of time" for NATO to accept Ukraine as a member state and then build facilities on its territory so that the level of military threats to Russia will rise dramatically.

As Moscow asked the United States and NATO for security guarantees, the Western countries precisely ignored Russia's fundamental concerns and nothing has changed in their position, Putin noted.

In such a condition, Russia "has every right to take retaliatory measures to ensure its own security," the president said.

Putin said he is aware that the West is trying to "blackmail" Russia again with sanctions, but he believes that sanctions will continue just because Russia exists, regardless of the situation in Ukraine.

After recognizing the independence of the LPR and the DPR, Putin instructed the Russian armed forces to ensure peace in the two "countries."

Earlier in the day, the Russian Security Council held an extraordinary meeting, when the country's top officials supported the recognition of the two "republics."

On Monday evening, Putin had phone conversations with French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who "expressed their disappointment" with Putin's plan to recognize the LPR and the DPR, but meanwhile they showed readiness to continue contacts, according to a Kremlin statement.

A Russian region bordering Ukraine declared a state of emergency on Saturday after officials reported growing numbers of people arriving from two self-proclaimed republics－Donetsk and Lugansk－in east Ukraine's breakaway region of Donbass in response to evacuation orders.

"Given the trend of increasing numbers of people arriving, we consider it appropriate to introduce a state of emergency," Vasily Golubev, the governor of the Rostov region, said in a meeting, according to Russian news agencies.

The announcement was made as militia from the Donetsk region said the Ukrainian armed forces had shelled six populated areas in the region, including the largest city, Donetsk, late on Saturday and early on Sunday.

The militia said Donetsk was shelled early on Sunday, with a chemical factory targeted.

Militia in the Lugansk region said 49 cease-fire violations "committed by the Ukrainian armed forces were registered".

"In some of them, heavy weaponry was used," the militia said on the Telegram social media platform, adding that attacks by the Ukrainian government on Saturday targeted 27 residential areas of the republic.

The leaders of the two breakaway regions in eastern Ukraine on Friday ordered civilians to cross the border into Russia, accusing the Ukrainian army of preparing to try to retake the regions by force.

The diplomatic effort to solve the Ukraine crisis was continuing, with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and his French counterpart Jean-Yves Le Drian discussing matters by phone on Saturday.

Balance of interests

Lavrov emphasized the need to ensure equal and indivisible security for all based on a balance of interests. He warned that ignoring the legitimate rights of Russia on security matters hurts not only the stability of Europe but also the world.

French President Emmanuel Macron and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin held a phone call on Sunday.

The call, Macron's office said, represented "the last possible and necessary effort to avoid a major conflict in Ukraine".

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock on Saturday warned against guessing or assuming Russia's decisions on Ukraine, after the United States warned again of an imminent invasion.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, attending the same conference, also pushed back against Washington's dire predictions.

"We do not think that we need to panic," Zelensky told an audience of top-level officials and security experts from around the world.

As for the weekend inflows into Russian territory, the country's emergencies ministry said about 400 people, as well as 150 vehicles, were involved in operations to receive people arriving from separatist territories.

Emergency services in the Donetsk region said earlier on Saturday that more than 6,600 people had been evacuated, and the state-run news agency RIA Novosti reported that those crossing checkpoints were being offered medical and psychological support.

NATO on Saturday began relocating staff from Ukraine's capital Kyiv to Lviv, in the west of the country, and to the Belgian capital Brussels, for their safety.

"The safety of our personnel is paramount, so staff (members) have been relocated to Lviv and Brussels. The NATO offices in Ukraine remain operational," an alliance official said, without giving numbers.

Agencies contributed to this story.

PARIS - French President Emmanuel Macron and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin pledged to "avoid an escalation, reduce risks and preserve peace" in eastern Ukraine during a phone call on Sunday, the French presidential office said in a press release.

According to the Elysee, Macron and Putin have agreed to resume the work within the framework of the Normandy format on the basis of the exchanges and proposals made by Ukraine in recent days, and to enable a meeting of the trilateral contact group to be held in the next few hours with the aim of obtaining "a commitment to a ceasefire" from all the stakeholders.

They also agreed on the need to favor a diplomatic solution to the current crisis and "to do everything to achieve it", adding that French Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Jean-Yves Le Drian will meet his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov in the coming days and several consultations will be held in Paris.

"The diplomatic work should make it possible to progress on the basis of the latest exchanges by involving all the stakeholders ... in order to achieve, if the conditions are met, a meeting at the highest level to define a new order of peace and security in Europe," said the press release.

Macron also spoke to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky by telephone over the weekend.

"President Zelensky has confirmed his determination to not react to the provocations and to respect the ceasefire," the Elysee said in another press release.

On Saturday, France urged all its nationals currently in Ukraine to leave the country and advised citizens to postpone their trip there.

MOSCOW - Under the leadership of President Vladimir Putin, Russia's strategic deterrence forces conducted large-scale drills on Saturday as the Ukrainian crisis has flared up.

Putin watched the exercise from the situation center at the Kremlin together with Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, the Kremlin said in a statement.

Russia's Aerospace Forces, the Southern Military District, the Strategic Missile Forces, the Northern and Black Sea Fleets were involved in the drills, according to the statement.

The Aerospace Forces launched Kinzhal hypersonic missiles, while ships and submarines of the Northern and Black Sea Fleets fired Kalibr cruise missiles and Tsirkon hypersonic missiles against sea and ground targets.

An Iskander ground-based cruise missile was launched from a training ground in the Astrakhan region in southern Russia, and a Yars intercontinental ballistic missile was launched from northwest Russia's Plesetsk cosmodrome against a target on the Kamchatka Peninsula.

Tu-95MS strategic bombers fired cruise missiles, while the Karelia strategic nuclear submarine of the Northern Fleet launched a Sineva ballistic missile from the Barents Sea towards the Kamchatka Peninsula.

The Kremlin said that the strategic deterrence exercise was "planned previously," during which the combat readiness of the troops and the reliability of the weapons were checked.

All the tasks were completed in full and all the missiles hit the designated targets, it added.

Bart Gorman, deputy chief of mission at the United States embassy in Moscow, has been expelled from Russia, confirmed the Russian Foreign Ministry on Thursday.

Gorman was ordered to leave in response to the "unjustified" expulsion of the minister-counselor of the Russian embassy in Washington, said the ministry's spokesperson Maria Zakharova in a statement, following media reports earlier in the day.

"It is true that the US diplomat was told to leave Russia, but that was done strictly in retaliation for the groundless expulsion of a minister-counselor of our embassy in Washington, contrary to his senior diplomatic rank," Zakharova said.

Moreover, she said the US Department of State defiantly ignored Russia's request for prolonging his stay at least until a substitute arrived. As a result, he had to leave without being replaced, merely worsening the already critical personnel shortage at the Russian embassy, which emerged as a result of the "visa war" unleashed by the US,Zakharova added.

Russia has for months complained that the US authorities have blocked visas for its diplomats, or that Gorman issued them slowly.

The US embassy promised a response to Gorman's expulsion.

"Gorman was the second most senior official at the US Embassy in Moscow after the ambassador and a key member of the embassy's senior management team," embassy spokesman Jason Rebholz was quoted by Russian state news agency RIA Novosti as saying.

Gorman served as charge d'affaires at the US mission in Moscow after the 2019 resignation of former president Donald Trump's appointee Jon Huntsman.

He continued as deputy chief of mission after the appointment of Ambassador John Sullivan under President Joe Biden in 2020.

His expulsion came as the US issued increasingly detailed warnings of a possible imminent Russian "invasion" of Ukraine.

The blog Diplopundit reported on Monday that Gorman had departed Moscow with his family last Thursday.

The expulsion also came the same day as the US State Department announced Secretary of State Antony Blinken's meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov next week, "provided there is no further Russian invasion of Ukraine".

Russia has repeatedly denied the accusation of a possible invasion and said on Friday it had begun withdrawing more tanks and other armored vehicles from areas near Ukraine's border.

Extremely dangerous

Still, Rosemary DiCarlo, the United Nations' under-secretary-general for political and peacebuilding affairs, said the current situation concerning Ukraine is extremely dangerous.

"Although seemingly intractable, given the stakes involved for our collective security and European stability, these issues can and must be solved through diplomacy in the full use of the many available regional and other mechanisms and frameworks. We support all such efforts, including through the secretary-general's good offices," she said.

On Thursday, clashes broke out in east Ukraine and the Ukraine military said the shells hit a kindergarten, wounding two civilians.

China's ambassador to the United Nations on Thursday stressed that regional security should not rely on "muscling up or even expanding military blocs", and the settlement of the Ukraine issue must return to the implementation of the Minsk agreements.

The Security Council on Thursday held a briefing on Ukraine and considered the implementation of the new Minsk agreements. Zhang Jun, China's permanent representative to the UN, elaborated on China's position on the current situation in Ukraine.

Feb 12 marked the seventh anniversary of the new Minsk agreements. The Minsk agreements are recognized by all as a fundamental and binding political document for the settlement of the Ukraine issue and were unanimously endorsed by Security Council Resolution 2202. Therefore, they deserve complete and effective implementation by all parties concerned, said Zhang.

"Regrettably, the majority of the agreements' provisions have yet to be truly implemented. New cease-fire violations have reportedly occurred on the lines of contact," he said.

Zhang pointed out that to solve the Ukraine issue, it is imperative to return to the agreements.

"We hope that all parties concerned will take a constructive attitude, resolve through dialogue and consultation whatever differences that may arise in the implementation of the agreements, and draw up a road map and timetable to implement the agreements to the letter without delay, so as to pave the way for a political solution to the Ukraine crisis," the envoy said.

Zhang said that in the current context, all parties concerned should "let reason prevail, adhere to the general direction of political solution, and refrain from any act that may provoke tensions or hype up the crisis".

"The parties should fully consider each other's legitimate security concerns and show mutual respect, and on such a basis, properly resolve their differences through equal-footed consultations," he continued.

Zhang said that China supports all efforts conducive to easing the tensions and noted that the recent diplomatic engagement between the Russian Federation with France, Germany and other European countries at the leaders level.

"A negotiated, balanced, effective and sustainable European security mechanism will serve as a solid foundation for lasting peace and stability across Europe," he said. "We trust that European countries will take decisions with strategic autonomy in line with their own interests. China also supports the secretary-general's good offices aimed at reducing tensions."

Zhang stressed that everything happens for a reason. "NATO enlargement is an issue that cannot be overlooked when dealing with the current tensions related to Ukraine. NATO's continuous expansion in the wake of the Cold War runs counter to the trend of our times — that is to maintain common security," he said.

"One country's security cannot be at the expense of the security of others. By the same token, regional security should not rely on muscling up or even expanding military blocs. This applies as much to the European region as to other regions of the world," said Zhang.

"There is one country that refuses to renounce its Cold War mentality. It says one thing and does another, in order to seek absolute military superiority. It has been ganging up in the Asia Pacific region, creating trilateral and quadrilateral small cliques, and bent on provoking confrontation," Zhang said.

The ambassador said what it is doing will only throw the Asia Pacific region into division and turmoil and seriously threaten the area's peace and stability, to the detriment of the countries in the region while getting nothing for itself.

"China urges the countries concerned to learn from history, subscribe to the notion of common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security, adhere to the approach of enhancing mutual trust and settling disputes through dialogue and consultation, and do more to contribute to world peace and regional stability," said Zhang.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Thursday at the UN that intelligence indicates that the buildup of Russian forces signals an attack against Ukraine "in the coming days" and had identified main targets, including the capital Kyiv.

Blinken also called for Russia to state that it has no intention to invade.

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Vershinin has denied that Russia wants to invade Ukraine. He urged council members not to turn the meeting into "a circus" by presenting a "baseless accusation saying that Russia allegedly was going to attack Ukraine".

"I think we've had enough speculation on that," Vershinin said. "We have long ago clarified everything and explained everything, and the announced date of the so-called invasion is behind us, so therefore, my advice to you is not present yourself in an awkward situation."

Vershinin said Blinken's statement is a "regrettable" and "dangerous" move that further fuels tensions. He said Russian forces remain on Russian territory and some Russian soldiers already were returning to home bases.

But dialogue must factor in Russia's key demands, foreign minister says

Russia's foreign minister said on Wednesday that his country is willing to engage in security talks with the West provided that Moscow's demands are not brushed aside.

Sergey Lavrov was commenting in response to an offer from the West for talks to cover certain security issues. He insisted that they could take place only in the context of Moscow's key demands, such as a halt to NATO's eastward expansion.

On the same day that Russia's foreign ministry criticized Western media for trying to trigger a war in Ukraine, the foreign minister set out Russia's position on the West's talks offer at a news conference.

"We believe it's a positive step and will be ready for this dialogue but not at the expense of clarification of the principled issues of our position, which concern the need to put a stop to NATO's headlong expansion to the east and look for other ways of providing security for all the Euro-Atlantic countries," he told reporters.

In particular, Lavrov referred to a proposal by Russian President Vladimir Putin that a moratorium be declared on the deployment of medium- and short-range missiles in Europe, along with other initiatives.

On Thursday, he also said that Russia and Belarus will end their joint military drills on Sunday as previously planned, addressing Western concerns that Russian troops may stay in Belarus for a longer time.

Earlier on Thursday, about 10 convoys of Russian troops left Crimea after completing drills there, the RIA news agency quoted Russia's defense ministry as saying.

However, the United States suspects Moscow has increased its military presence on the Ukrainian border, a senior official in the administration of US President Joe Biden said on Wednesday.

The official did not provide details or evidence to back up the claim, according to Reuters. At a news briefing on Wednesday, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said the Western media had gone to great lengths to trigger a war in Ukraine, but their reports have nothing to do with reality.

"Possibly, their pages were scenes of ferocious battles, but all this has nothing to do with the reality," Zakharova said. "In the previous days no war happened, but they don't get upset and keep waiting for it with a tenacity worthy of a better occasion."

Zakharova said that Russia and Ukraine, while adhering to fundamentally different views on many issues, state there are no facts indicating preparations for an invasion.

According to a report by Agence France-Presse, hundreds of US paratroopers landed at a Polish airport near the Ukrainian border on Wednesday as part of a deployment of several thousand to bolster NATO's eastern flank.

The arrivals will bring the US troop presence in Poland to around 10,000 on rotation.

NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg, who hosted a meeting of the alliance's defense ministers in Brussels, dismissed suggestions that the threat on the border had diminished, and said NATO's doors will remain open for Ukraine.

In response, Zakharova said: "Moscow will no longer take seriously any statements by Stoltenberg."

Ukrainian Defense Minister Olexiy Reznikov said on Wednesday that the situation on Ukraine's borders remains stable.

"This morning, as every day, I received another summary with figures and facts, and they are fully consistent with our forecasts, and they do not contain anything unexpected," Reznikov was quoted by the Ukrinform news agency as saying.

Beyond the region, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro pledged a "powerful military cooperation" with Russia following high-level discussions between officials on Wednesday.

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida was expected to speak with Putin as early as Thursday night, a government source said. Kishida, in talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky two days earlier, said Japan is ready to extend at least $100 million to the country.

US Vice-President Kamala Harris will meet Zelensky and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz among other world leaders during a visit to the Munich Security Conference this week, senior administration officials said on Wednesday.

Agencies and Xinhua contributed to this story.

China's ambassador to the United Nations on Thursday stressed that regional security should not rely on "muscling up or even expanding military blocs", and the settlement of the Ukraine issue must return to the implementation of the Minsk agreements.

The Security Council on Thursday held a briefing on Ukraine and considered the implementation of the new Minsk agreements. Zhang Jun, China's permanent representative to the UN, elaborated on China's position on the current situation in Ukraine.

Feb 12 marked the seventh anniversary of the new Minsk agreements. The Minsk agreements are recognized by all as a fundamental and binding political document for the settlement of the Ukraine issue and were unanimously endorsed by Security Council Resolution 2202. Therefore, they deserve complete and effective implementation by all parties concerned, said Zhang.

"Regrettably, the majority of the agreements' provisions have yet to be truly implemented. New cease-fire violations have reportedly occurred on the lines of contact," he said.

Zhang pointed out that to solve the Ukraine issue, it is imperative to return to the agreements.

"We hope that all parties concerned will take a constructive attitude, resolve through dialogue and consultation whatever differences that may arise in the implementation of the agreements, and draw up a roadmap and timetable to implement the agreements to the letter without delay, so as to pave the way for a political solution to the Ukraine crisis," the envoy said.

Zhang said that in the current context, all parties concerned should "let reason prevail, adhere to the general direction of political solution, and refrain from any act that may provoke tensions or hype up the crisis".

"The parties should fully consider each other's legitimate security concerns and show mutual respect, and on such a basis, properly resolve their differences through equal-footed consultations," he continued.

Zhang said that China supports all efforts conducive to easing the tensions and noted that the recent diplomatic engagement between the Russian Federation with France, Germany and other European countries at the leaders level.

"A negotiated, balanced, effective and sustainable European security mechanism will serve as a solid foundation for lasting peace and stability across Europe," he said. "We trust that European countries will take decisions with strategic autonomy in line with their own interests. China also supports the secretary-general's good offices aimed at reducing tensions."

Zhang stressed that everything happens for a reason. "NATO enlargement is an issue that cannot be overlooked when dealing with the current tensions related to Ukraine. NATO's continuous expansion in the wake of the Cold War runs counter to the trend of our times — that is to maintain common security," he said.

"One country's security cannot be at the expense of the security of others. By the same token, regional security should not rely on muscling up or even expanding military blocs. This applies as much to the European region as to other regions of the world," said Zhang.

"There is one country that refuses to renounce its Cold War mentality. It says one thing and does another, in order to seek absolute military superiority. It has been ganging up in the Asia Pacific region, creating trilateral and quadrilateral small cliques, and bent on provoking confrontation," Zhang said.

The ambassador said what it is doing will only throw the Asia Pacific region into division and turmoil and seriously threaten the area's peace and stability, to the detriment of the countries in the region while getting nothing for itself.

"China urges the countries concerned to learn from history, subscribe to the notion of common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security, adhere to the approach of enhancing mutual trust and settling disputes through dialogue and consultation, and do more to contribute to world peace and regional stability," said Zhang.

Russia has said that a diplomatic solution to its escalating standoff with the West over Ukraine is still possible.

Diplomatic efforts are ramping up amid concerns that Russia might invade Ukraine in the coming days, a claim the Kremlin has repeatedly denied.

During a televised meeting on Monday, Russian President Vladimir Putin asked Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov whether there was a chance to reach an agreement with the West, or whether the diplomacy was "an attempt to drag us into an endless negotiation process", The Associated Press reported.

Lavrov replied that the "possibilities are far from being exhausted. They certainly should not continue indefinitely, but I would suggest continuing and ramping them up".

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres talked online separately with Lavrov and Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba on Monday. He said in a statement that "abandoning diplomacy for confrontation is not a step over a line, it is a dive over a cliff", according to AP.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz met on Tuesday with Putin in Moscow, a day after sitting down with Ukraine's leader in Kyiv. In his opening remarks in the Kremlin, Scholz addressed Ukraine tensions but also noted Germany's economic ties with Russia, which complicate Western efforts to agree on how to respond to Russia in the event of an invasion, AP reported.

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said on Tuesday that he had agreed with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to pursue diplomatic efforts to ease tensions over Russia's military buildup near the border with Ukraine, Reuters reported.

Following a phone call with Zelensky, Kishida also said Japan planned to take appropriate steps, including possible sanctions, if Russia invades Ukraine, according to Reuters.

Earlier on Tuesday, Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi said at a regular news conference that while Japan is "strongly seeking" a diplomatic resolution, it was prepared to take "appropriate steps, including possible sanctions" in coordination with the G7 and international community, depending on the situation.

More than 30 countries urged their citizens to leave Ukraine, and several Western states were evacuating their diplomats. Moscow followed suit, according to the Russian Foreign Ministry.

Ukrainian Defense Minister Olexiy Reznikov and Belarusian Defense Minister Viktor Khrenin discussed the current state of military cooperation and steps to strengthen confidence and security in the region in a phone conversation on Monday, according to Xinhua News Agency.

A day earlier, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko emphasized that no one plans to fight Ukraine, and the West is constantly spreading rumors about Russia allegedly preparing to invade the neighboring country, Xinhua reported.

Vasily Kashin, head of the Center for Comprehensive European and International Studies at the Higher School of Economics, said, "Now the 'Russian threat' is being ramped up by the US."

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said on Tuesday, when taking questions about the Ukraine issue at a regular news briefing in Beijing, that it is not responsible to play up war amid the current circumstances.

"To keep exerting pressure with sanctions also does not help to ease the situation. And clamoring for bloc confrontation is a return to the Cold War," Wang said, urging all parties to create conditions for political resolution of the crisis.

The spokesman said China's position on the Ukraine issue is consistent and clear and remains unchanged.

Andrey Kortunov, director-general of the Russian International Affairs Council, said the evacuation of embassies is a sign of a jittery environment, not so much in Kyiv, but in a number of Western capitals.

Amid the general hysteria, there is a risk that Kyiv may take advantage of the situation and set up a military provocation, according to RIAC expert Dmitry Suslov.

"The situation may get out of hand and lead to serious consequences, above all, for Kyiv, since Russia repeatedly stressed that it won't permit a military resolution of the Ukrainian crisis," he said, adding that he considered such a scenario unlikely.

Last week, Ukraine decided to hold unscheduled military drills simultaneously with joint Russian-Belarusian exercises in which, for 10 days, drones and missile systems that the country received from NATO will be tested along the borders with Russia and Belarus.

"The thing about the drills is that the troops are deployed in combat formation," said Russian military expert Yury Knutov. "They can be used both for training and for waging a war. The experience of local conflicts after World War II shows that many of them started under the guise of drills."

WASHINGTON - US President Joe Biden said Tuesday that there was still time to resolve the Ukraine crisis through diplomacy but warned that sanctions are "ready to go" if Russian troops attack the country.

Biden said that despite Russia's claims earlier in the day, Washington and its allies had yet to verify the withdrawal of some of the 150,000 troops he said Moscow had mustered along Ukraine's border.

"Analysts indicate that they remain very much in a threatening position," Biden said in an address on the crisis.

"The United States is prepared no matter what happens. We are ready with diplomacy," the US leader said.

"And we are ready to respond decisively to Russian attack on Ukraine, which is still very much a possibility," he said, warning of "powerful sanctions."

Earlier, Moscow's defense ministry announced some soldiers and hardware were leaving the border region to return to their bases at the end of planned exercises.

After a meeting Tuesday with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in Moscow, President Vladimir Putin said Russia "of course" did not want war, and was willing to look for solutions with the West.

"We are ready to work further together. We are ready to go down the negotiations track," Putin told a joint press conference with Scholz, confirming a "partial pullback of troops."