Britain said on Thursday that the most dangerous moment at the dead end of
Western talks with Moscow appeared to be imminent, as Russia held military
exercises in Belarus and the Black Sea following its troop buildup near
Ukraine.
Ukraine is also holding war games and the United States is urging Americans
in the country to leave immediately because of the growing threat of Russian
military action.
But leaders on all sides have signaled they hope diplomacy can still prevail
in what British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has called Europe's biggest
security crisis for decades.
In a new round of talks, Britain's foreign minister debated openly with his
Russian counterpart in Moscow, Johnson visited NATO headquarters in Brussels
and the German leader met his Baltic counterparts in Berlin, where officials
from Russia, Ukraine, Germany and France also held discussions.
Russia, which has more than 100,000 troops near the Ukrainian border, denies
Western accusations that it may be planning to attack its former Soviet
neighbour, although it says it can take unspecified military technical
action unless demands are met.
"I honestly don't think a decision has been taken" by Moscow on whether to
strike, Johnson said at a news conference with NATO Secretary General Jens
Stoltenberg. "But that doesn't mean that it's unlikely that something truly
catastrophic could happen in the near future."
"This is perhaps the most dangerous moment, in my opinion, in the next few
days, in the biggest security crisis that Europe has faced in decades."
The way forward is diplomacy, Johnson later told reporters in Poland.
Stoltenberg also said it was a dangerous time for European security, adding:
"The number of Russian troops is increasing. The warning time for possible
attacks is reduced."
In new friction, Ukraine criticized Russian naval exercises that it said
were part of hybrid warfare and made navigation in the Black and Seas of
Azov "nearly impossible".
Nearly nine hours of talks between Ukraine and Russia on Thursday failed to
produce a breakthrough in signing the joint document, but both sides agreed
to continue talking, Ukraine's presidential chief of staff said after talks
in Berlin.
Russia said talks with Ukraine, France and Germany over the conflict in
eastern Ukraine failed to reach a new agreement, and criticized what it
called a lack of clarity on Ukraine's position.