Russia announced a new drawdown of military forces from the Moscow-annexed Crimean peninsula on Thursday, despite Ukraine’s Western allies meeting similar announcements with scepticism.
“Units of the southern military district that ended tactical exercises at training grounds on the Crimean peninsula are returning by rail to their permanent
India does not have any immediate plan to evacuate its citizens from Ukraine and its focus has been on ensuring their safety rather than on anything “larger”, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Thursday. MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said at a media briefing that India has been supportive of an immediate de-escalation of tensions and resolution of the Ukraine crisis through sustained diplomatic dialogue
Russian-backed rebels and Ukrainian forces traded accusations on Thursday that each had fired across the ceasefire line in eastern Ukraine, raising alarm at a time when Western countries have warned of the possibility of a Russian invasion any day.The details of the incidents could not be independently confirmed, and the initial reports suggested they were on a similar scale to ceasefire violations that have been common throughout the eight year conflict. But they come at a time of global concern over the prospect of a wider war, with more than 100,000 Russian troops near the Ukrainian frontier. Moscow denies it is planning an invasion and has said this week it is pulling back some troops, though Western countries say they are not convinced.
Oil prices fell on Thursday as talks to resurrect a nuclear deal with Iran entered their final stages, but losses were capped by heightened tensions between top energy exporter Russia and the West over Ukraine. Brent crude traded down $1.26, or 1.3%, at $93.55 a barrel by 0914 GMT. U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude was down $1.34, or 1.4%, at $92.32. Both contracts fell more than 2% earlier in the session. “(The) oil market is locked in a tug of war between Iranian sanctions relief and Russian-Ukraine tensions,” said Stephen Brennock at brokerage PVM Oil.
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