Page 34 - Andrewe Kramer News Today

Escalating military preparations by Russia and its separatist allies in Ukraine indicate that an attack could come within days, American officials say.

Military drills in Belarus, deployments in western Russia and Crimea, and planned naval exercises in the Black Sea gave an ominous undertone to a continuing diplomatic scramble.

When the Soviet Union collapsed, Ukraine turned over thousands of atomic weapons in exchange for security guarantees from Russia, the United States and other countries.

As the United States and others step up military aid to Ukraine, the deliveries are more overt, and Ukraine is staging public weapons demonstrations for the media.

In responses to Moscow’s security demands, the U.S. and NATO rejected a demand that Ukraine never join the alliance but offered more transparency on missile deployments in Eastern Europe.

With vitriolic accusations that echoed the Cold War era, the United States and Russia sparred in a bitter debate over the Ukraine crisis in a Security Council meeting watched by the world on Monday.

The latest Ukraine crisis news, articles, data, and analysis from The Sydney Morning Herald

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