Russia

MOSCOW, February 11. /TASS/: The situation on the European continent is becoming increasingly tense, and it is not Russia’s fault, Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu said during the meeting with his UK counterpart Ben Wallace Friday.

"I am happy to welcome you in Moscow, in the Russian Defense Ministry. The military and political situation in Europe is becoming increasingly tense. And it is not our fault at all. We do not entirely and not always understand the reasons behind the escalation of those tensions. Still, we see that the tensions are growing," Shoigu said.

MOSCOW, Feb 11 (Reuters) - Russia's lower house of parliament may seek guidance from the government on whether to call for the recognition of two breakaway Ukrainian regions as independent, its speaker said on Friday, implying that the step could be delayed.

The State Duma, Russia's lower house, is due on Monday to set a date to vote on a group of lawmakers' proposal to appeal to President Vladimir Putin to recognise the two self-proclaimed republics that are supported by Moscow.

MOSCOW/ADELAIDE, Feb 11 (Reuters) - Russia is massing yet more troops near Ukraine and an invasion could come at any time, perhaps before the end of this month's Winter Olympics, Washington said on Friday.

Moscow, for its part, stiffened its truculent response towards Western diplomacy, saying answers sent this week by the EU and NATO to its security demands showed "disrespect".

Commercial satellite images published by a private U.S. company showed new Russian military deployments at several locations near Ukraine.

MOSCOW, Feb. 10 (Xinhua) -- Russian President Vladimir Putin and Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev discussed Kazakhstan's stability and bilateral cooperation during their talks in Moscow on Thursday.

President Tokayev's firm stance, Russia's support, and the assistance of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) made it possible to restore order and peace in Kazakhstan in the shortest time possible, Putin said during a press conference following talks with the Kazakh leader.

MOSCOW (AP) — Britain’s defense secretary visited Moscow Friday for talks on easing tensions amid massive Russian war games near Ukraine.

Ben Wallace’s trip comes a day after British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss held talks in Moscow, urging Russia to pull back over 100,000 troops amassed near Ukraine and warning that attacking its neighbor would “have massive consequences and carry severe costs.”

MOSCOW, February 10. /TASS/: The Russian government will do everything possible to ensure implementation of the economic agreements reached between Russia and Kazakhstan at the highest level, Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin said during his meeting with Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev on Thursday.

MOSCOW, February 10. /TASS/: The Ukrainian Security Service (SBU) and the Ukrainian Armed Forces (UAF) are preparing provocations at the contact line in Donbass and their ‘reporting’ in a fashion, similar to that of the ‘White Helmets’ in Syria, Russian Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) Director Sergey Naryshkin said in an interview Thursday.

MOSCOW, February 10. /TASS/: President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev called the talks with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin interesting and intense.

MOSCOW, Feb 10 (Reuters) - Russia's foreign minister accused his British counterpart on Thursday of grandstanding and refusing to listen, at a rancorous encounter that highlighted the gulf between them over the Ukraine crisis.

"I'm honestly disappointed that what we have is a conversation between a dumb and a deaf person...Our most detailed explanations fell on unprepared soil," Sergei Lavrov told a joint news conference with Britain's Liz Truss.

MOSCOW (AP) — Britain’s top diplomat urged Russia on Thursday to defuse tensions over Ukraine and take the path of diplomacy even as thousands of Russian troops engaged in sweeping maneuvers in Belarus as part of a military buildup near Ukraine that has fueled Western fears of an invasion.

U.K. Foreign Secretary Liz Truss again warned Russia that attacking its neighbor would “have massive consequences and carry severe costs,” urging Moscow to abide by its international agreements that commit it to respecting Ukraine’s independence and sovereignty.