Pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine issued a full military readiness order and sent more civilians from the region to Russia on Sunday.
Russia has given passports to 700 thousand people in the region, and it is stated that the claims that Russian citizens are in danger can be used as an excuse for Moscow’s military action against Ukraine.
Ukraine denies separatists’ claims that Kiev will launch a military action against the region.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said that the time has come for Western countries to impose sanctions on Russia. Kuleba stressed that Russia must now be stopped.
The President of the European Council, Charles Michel, said that while Russia is conducting missile tests and massing troops on the border, they cannot extend an olive branch to Moscow indefinitely.
“The question is, does the Kremlin want dialogue?” Michel said at the Munich Security Conference. “One thing is certain, if there is more military aggression, we will respond with massive sanctions,” he said.
Deputy President Kamala Harris, who attended the Munich Security Conference, stated that the tension between Russia and Ukraine may have a negative impact on energy prices in the United States, and that the administration is working to reduce its impact.
President of France Emmanuel Macron spoke separately by phone with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Zelensky.
Macron stated that France is ready to take any risk for the security and stability of Europe.
Meanwhile, the Belarusian Ministry of Defense announced the extension of the joint military exercise with Russia. It was previously stated that the exercise would end on February 20.
No date has been given for when the 30,000 Russian soldiers in Belarus will leave the country.
While calling on the citizens of Germany and Austria to leave Ukraine, the German airline Lufthansa stopped flights to Kiev and Odessa.
NATO also deployed employees from its liaison office in Kiev to Brussels and the western city of Lviv.
An American military official stated that 40-50 percent of the Russian soldiers deployed around Ukraine took the offensive position.