Page 33 - Andrewe Kramer News Today

The artillery fire hit the town of Stanytsia Luhanska, along the frontline that separates government forces from rebels in eastern Ukraine.

President Vladimir V. Putin said he was pulling some Russian troops back from areas close to Ukraine, hinting at cooling the crisis, but U.S. officials say it is too soon to gauge his intentions.

MOSCOW -- Russia's Defense Ministry said Tuesday that some troops deployed from military districts bordering Ukraine were being loaded onto trains and trucks and sent back to their garrisons, marking Russia's latest step away from the threat of an invasion.

Andrew E. Kramer, a Times Moscow correspondent currently based in Kyiv, Ukraine’s capital, shares what he is seeing in the city and at the country’s border.

MOSCOW -- The tone of the crisis over Ukraine shifted Monday as Russia's top diplomat endorsed more talks to resolve its standoff with the West and Ukrainian officials hinted at offering concessions to avert war -- even as Russian warships massed off Ukraine's Black Sea coast and Russian ground troops appeared poised to strike.

Western officials made another diplomatic push on Saturday to dissuade President Vladimir V. Putin from invading Ukraine.

Diplomats say President Biden’s 13-month delay in sending an envoy to a top crisis spot is impossible to explain.

The United States is set to evacuate its embassy in Kyiv as Western intelligence officials warn that a Russian invasion of Ukraine is increasingly imminent.

The leaders are expected to speak by telephone on Saturday. The U.S. begins a drawdown of its embassy in Kyiv, and the State Department again warns all Americans to leave Ukraine amid concerns of an imminent Russian attack.

The United States is set to evacuate its embassy in Kyiv as Western intelligence officials warn that a Russian invasion of Ukraine is increasingly imminent.