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MFA of Canada: Canada and our @NATO allies are united in our support for Ukraine and its people. Russia must de-escalate and engage in meaningful dialogue— any military incursion into Ukraine will have serious consequences, including coordinated sanctions

US Department of State: In fact, we have been clear with Russia, publicly and privately, that should Russia further invade Ukraine we would reinforce our @NATO partners on the eastern flank, to whom we have sacred obligation as Allies

US Department of State: It is not accurate that the administration is developing options for pulling back U.S. forces in Eastern Europe in preparation for discussions with Russia next week, which we told NBC while they were reporting this story

NSC spox Emily Horne responds to @NBCNews report, telling @MollyNagle3, "It is not accurate that the admin is developing options for pulling back US forces in E. Europe in preparation for discussions with Russia next week, which we told NBC while they were reporting this story

Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman met with Swedish Foreign Minister Ann Linde today and discussed shared concerns on Russia’s military build-up on Ukraine’s borders.

Making non-starter demands to create a pretext for invasion is "certainly part of [Russia's] playbook," Blinken tells @CBSNews @EenaRuffini, "but there are also issues where we can engage"

Blinken: "We would far prefer a diplomatic solution to a crisis that Russia has brought forth. That's what next week's meetings.. are all about." "It will be very difficult to make actual progress if Russia continues to escalate its military buildup & its inflammatory rhetoric

"They want to draw us into a debate about NATO, rather than focus on the matter at hand, which is their aggression toward Ukraine," Blinken says. "We won't be diverted from that issue"

Russia is also undertaking a "significant effort to push propaganda against Ukraine, NATO and the United States," Blinken says. "No one should be surprised if Russia instigates a provocation or incident, then tries to use it to justify military intervention" he says

Blinken in his presser notes that Russia's claims that NATO is threatening Russia is false. NATO "exists to protect, not to attack," he says. "NATO never promised not to admit new members. there was no promise that NATO wouldn't expand"

Blinken says Russia has nearly 100,000 troops at Ukraine's border today, with "plans to mobilize twice that number on very short order

"We're prepared to respond forcefully to further Russian aggression," @SecBlinken says, "but a diplomatic solution is still possible - and preferable - if Russia chooses it

Training at Opuk firing range in Crimea

.@SecBlinken spoke with Ukrainian Foreign Minister @DmytroKuleba about Russia's military buildup on Ukraine's borders, and upcoming diplomatic engagements with Russia. "No conversations about Ukraine without Ukraine”

Russia - "They are gradually building up with more forces, more capabilities" per @NATO's @jensstoltenberg "We see armored units. We see artillery.We see electronic warfare equipment" re Ukraine

.@NATO: "We regret that despite the calls of the int'l community over many weeks, Russia has not taken steps to deescalate" per SecGen @jensstoltenberg. "The Russian military build-up continues with tens of thousands of combat troops & heavy capabilities"

NATO chief won't be drawn on size & speed of any increase in troops to bolster NATO defences should Russianewly invade Ukraine, but says: "We have significant capabilities. We have troops. We have the readiness. We have the plans to be able to protect and defend all allies"

"When Russia is now finally ready to meet, we should welcome that fact" per @NATO SecGen @jensstoltenberg

"For us there is contradiction between deterrence & dialogue" with Russia, per @NATO SecGen @jensstoltenberg Says there is a lot to discuss, inclu. arms control

@NATO SecGen @jensstoltenberg says alliance must be prepared for possibility talks with Russia over Ukraine break down & if Moscow uses force vs. Kyiv - "There will be severe consequences, a high price to pay" with economic, financial & political sanctions, he says

In terms of where NATO is ready to engage with Russia, @jensstoltenberg says it's ready to talk about "balanced, verifiable" arms control. But he rejects any suggestion of meeting "1-sided" demands that could result in 2nd class NATO members that alliance isn't allowed to protect

Describing Russia's troops presence in & around Ukraine, NATO chief says "Russian military build up has not stopped. It continues." He lists "armoured units, artillery, combat-ready troops, electronic warfare equipment and a lot of different military capabilities"

"We must be prepared for the possibility that diplomacy [with Moscow] will fail," warns NATO SecGen Stoltenberg

NATO chief @jensstoltenberg, referring to Russia's military build-up around Ukraine, says the "risk of conflict is real". He says it's positive that Russia will come to table to talk next week but says the alliance must be prepared for possibility the dialogue may fail

The Russian government prematurely terminated financing of the Federal Target Program for the Development of Crimea and Sevastopol

Russia continues to strengthen its Black Sea Fleet: Sredne-Nevsky built, Russian Navy Project12700 BSF 68th Coastal Defense Ship Brigade, 150th Tactical Group's Aleksandrit-class mine countermeasures vessel Georgiy Kurbatov was towed thru Bosphorus for the first time towards Black Sea

Iran says it paid $150,000 to every family of Ukrainian plane victims

Lukashenka in his Christmas speech: this year will be the year of uniting states into unions. We should unite with our brothers: Russia, Kazakhstan and Ukraine. We will do everything to take back Ukraine

Joint Forces Operation: 2 ceasefire violations yesterday

Jens Stoltenberg: Spoke with President @niinisto about the security situation in Europe and Russia's build-up in & around Ukraine. We call on Russia to de-escalate. We continue to coordinate with our close partner Finland. NATO respects the right of every country to choose its own path

Military deployment at Unecha station in Bryansk region

Coordinator of Kazakhstan opposition movement "DVK" Zamanbek Tleuliev says that Ukrainian security services came to his residence

In addition to property of Former President Poroshenko, Pechersky court had also arrested the assets of Pryamiy and Channel 5 TV channel - Eurosolidarity party

Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman spoke today with French MFA Secretary General Francois Delattre, German MFA Political Director Tjorven Bellmann, Italian MFA Secretary General Ettore Sequi, and UK Minister of State for Middle East, North Africa and North America James Cleverly. They pledged to continue close U.S.-European coordination to deter further Russian aggression against Ukraine and reaffirmed their commitment to impose massive consequences and severe costs on Russia for destabilizing actions.

Looks like @danvan71 has found another possible encampment in the Klintsy area, at a training ground near the village of Unecha. Review of Sentinel-2 imagery shows equipment may have arrived there as early as the first week of November. Imagery below from January 2nd

Secretary of State Blinken spoke today with Kazakhstani Foreign Minister Mukhtar Tileuberdi regarding the ongoing state of emergency in Kazakhstan. The Secretary reiterated the United States’ full support for Kazakhstan’s constitutional institutions and media freedom and advocated for a peaceful, rights-respecting resolution to the crisis. The Secretary also raised the priority of promoting stability in Europe, including support for Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity in response to Russian aggression.

Representatives of the Russian Federation, Germany and France agreed on further contacts with the participation of Ukraine for an early end to the conflict in the east of the country, Kozak said.

Deputy Secretary Wendy Sherman spoke with @NATO Deputy Secretary General @Mircea_Geoana about Russia's military build-up on Ukraine's borders

Secretary of Defense: This morning, I spoke with Russian Minister of Defense Sergey Shoygu. We discussed risk reduction near Ukraine's borders

Russian Defense Minister Shoigu had phone call with the head of the Pentagon

Canada, Britain, Sweden, and Ukraine have determined that further attempts to negotiate with Iran over the downing of PS752 will be futile

Pechersky district court of Kyiv arrested property of former President Poroshenko in a case of funding of supply of coal from occupied territories of Ukraine

Sarasota Police Department:We continue to investigate a shooting that happened just after midnight in the 1900 blk of Dr. Martin Luther King Way, Sarasota. One man was shot & detectives following numerous leads to arrest a suspect. At this time, a suspect is not in custody. Info Please call 941-263-6070

Putin's adviser Kozak meets advisers to the Chancellor of Germany and the President of France to discuss Ukraine

In Ukraine, the SBU security service @ServiceSsu reportedly disrupted 59 attempted cyber attacks on government services in December 2021 alone

Former President Poroshenko promised to return to Ukraine on 17th January and meet General Prosecutor and appear at court

Joint Forces Operation: 4 ceasefire violations yesterday

US Department of State: .@SecBlinken and Japanese Foreign Minister Hayashi spoke today to discuss the concerning situation in Ukraine. We will continue to deepen U.S.-Japan cooperation