With an estimated 100,000 Russian troops camped on the Ukrainian border, there has never been a more urgent need for Russian and Nato leaders to find a way to resolve their differences.
Even though the Kremlin has consistently denied that it has any plans to invade Ukraine, and that the troops massed on its southern neighbour’s border are undertaking a routine military exercise, concerns persist as to the Russian force’s ultimate objectives.
Speculation has been mounting that Russia is preparing to launch a full-scale invasion of Ukraine since Moscow first began deploying its forces near Ukraine in November, with some analysts predicting that the offensive would take place this month.
Washington is now warning that the operation has only been delayed because the region has experienced an unusually mild winter, prompting US President Joe Biden to order a team of meteorologists to help forecast when a possible Russian invasion might take place. US officials have reported that the relatively mild weather makes a January invasion now unlikely, with large areas across the border and near the frontline constituting a muddy quagmire, providing less-than-ideal conditions for fighting.
Hopes of de-escalating tensions in the area have not been helped, though, by the Russian decision earlier this week to move helicopters and fighter jets towards the Ukrainian border.
The move follows Russia’s recent military intervention in Kazakhstan, labelled a "peacekeeping" mission by Moscow, which is being seen as a clear demonstration of the Kremlin’s willingness to act in decisive fashion when it comes to defending what it believes to be its overseas interests.
The increased activity on the Ukrainian border has certainly increased tensions at a time when intensive diplomatic efforts are underway to de-escalate the situation, with Russian and Western officials engaging in a series of high-level talks throughout the week.
A satellite image shows a Russian battle group deployment in the Kursk Training Area, Russia, on December 21, 2021. Reuters
Russian forces in Soloti, Russia, on September 7, 2021. Reuters
A satellite image shows Russian forces in Soloti, Russia, on December 5, 2021. Reuters
Russian forces in Soloti, Russia, on September 7, 2021. Reuters
A satellite image released by Maxar Technologies shows Russian armoured units training in the Pogonovo Training Area near Voronezh, Russia, on November 26, 2021. Reuters
A satellite image released by Maxar Technologies reportedly shows Russian ground forces deployed at the Opuk Training Area on December 22, 2021. AFP
Russian ground forces deployed at the Opuk Training Area on December 22, 2021. AFP
A satellite image of a Russian troop location in Soloti, Russia, provided by Maxar Technologies and taken on December 5, 2021. AP
A Russian troop location in Bakhchysarai, Russia. AP
The talks have been convened after Russia set out a contentious set of demands at the end of last year, which sought to limit any extension of Nato influence in nations, such as Ukraine, that were formerly members of the Soviet Union.
Top of Moscow’s demands was that Nato provide a commitment that the likes of Ukraine and Georgia – another former Soviet state – would never be allowed to join the Nato alliance. In addition, Russia is calling on Nato to limit its military operations in eastern Europe, which Moscow views as a direct threat to its own security.
Tensions between Russia and the West have been steadily on the increase since Moscow’s 2014 military action against Ukraine, which resulted in the capture and annexation of Crimea, a move that has resulted in Moscow being subjected to wide-ranging sanctions.
Ukraine currently enjoys partner status with Nato, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has expressed interest in becoming a full Nato member, a move which would commit the alliance to protecting Ukraine’s sovereign integrity.
Another important factor in the dispute is that, under the terms of the 1994 Budapest Memorandum that Ukraine, together with Belarus and Kazakhstan, signed with the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), the West agreed to provide the country with security guarantees in return for Kiev giving up its nuclear weapons.
Nato Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg in Brest. AP
But any attempt by Ukraine to press for Nato membership will be fiercely resisted by Mr Putin, who regards Ukraine as historically falling within Moscow’s sphere of influence and is bitterly opposed to the move.
Nor is the Ukraine issue the only one driving the recent increase in tensions between Moscow and the West. Apart from seeking to limit Nato from continuing its expansion in eastern Europe, a process that began with the fall of the collapse of the Soviet Union, Western diplomats believe Russia’s conduct on Ukraine’s border is also aimed at getting sanctions on its economy lifted. Moscow is also pressing for Europe to give approval for the controversial Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline, which runs from Russia to Germany, to become operational.
Hopes of any immediate breakthrough in the stand-off, though, have so far failed to materialise following four hours of talks between Nato and Russian officials in Brussels which ended on Wednesday with Western leaders flatly rejecting Moscow’s demands for no further expansion of alliance membership and the withdrawal of Nato forces from Eastern Europe.
Following the meeting, which followed a previous session of bilateral talks between the US and Russia, Nato Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said the allies were adamant they would not accede to Russia’s demand for a guarantee that Ukraine and Georgia never join the alliance, nor would they allow Moscow to dictate where allied countries choose to position their forces.
“We can discuss many issues but we cannot discuss some core principles,” he said. “There is a real risk of a new armed conflict in Europe,” Mr Stoltenberg said. “We are clear-eyed. So we also conveyed a message to Russia that if they use military force there will be severe consequences; economic sanctions; political sanctions.”
During the talks at Nato headquarters in Brussels, Nato officials proposed a series of additional meetings, but the Russians neither accepted nor rejected the offer, Stoltenberg said.
For the moment, diplomatic efforts to resolve the crisis are set to continue, with the dispute topping the agenda at Thursday’s OSCE meeting in Vienna, where the permanent council of the world’s largest security body, constituting 57 member states, will seek to break the impasse.
In an interview with the independent Russian TV channel Dozhd, Michael Carpenter, US ambassador to the OSCE, played down any immediate prospects of a breakthrough.
"I don't think there will be any concrete results this week," he said. "Our main goal is, in principle, to establish a dialogue. Yes, our positions are polar, but this does not mean that there are no elements and areas on which we cannot agree."
Nevertheless, with so much at stake, it is clearly in the interests of both sides to resolve their differences if a potentially disastrous conflict in Ukraine is to be avoided.
Dust and sand storms compared
Sand storm
Particle size: Larger, heavier sand grains
Visibility: Often dramatic with thick "walls" of sand
Duration: Short-lived, typically localised
Travel distance: Limited
Source: Open desert areas with strong winds
Dust storm
Particle size: Much finer, lightweight particles
Visibility: Hazy skies but less intense
Duration: Can linger for days
Travel distance: Long-range, up to thousands of kilometres
Source: Can be carried from distant regions
THE BIO
Bio Box
Role Model: Sheikh Zayed, God bless his soul
Favorite book: Zayed Biography of the leader
Favorite quote: To be or not to be, that is the question, from William Shakespeare's Hamlet
Pakistan trail by 135 runs with 7 wickets remaining in the innings
The specs: 2018 Mercedes-Benz GLA
Price, base / as tested Dh150,900 / Dh173,600
Engine 2.0L inline four-cylinder
Transmission Seven-speed automatic
Power 211hp @ 5,500rpm
Torque 350Nm @ 1,200rpm
Fuel economy, combined 6.4L / 100km
Dubai World Cup nominations
UAE: Thunder Snow/Saeed bin Suroor (trainer), North America/Satish Seemar, Drafted/Doug Watson, New Trails/Ahmad bin Harmash, Capezzano, Gronkowski, Axelrod, all trained by Salem bin Ghadayer
Japan: Matera Sky/Hideyuki Mori, KT Brace/Haruki Sugiyama. Bahrain: Nine Below Zero/Fawzi Nass. Ireland: Tato Key/David Marnane. Hong Kong: Fight Hero/Me Tsui. South Korea: Dolkong/Simon Foster.
Brief scores:
Southampton 2
Armstrong 13', Soares 20'
Manchester United 2
Lukaku 33', Herrera 39'
UAE tour of Zimbabwe
All matches in Bulawayo Friday, Sept 26 – UAE won by 36 runs Sunday, Sept 28 – Second ODI Tuesday, Sept 30 – Third ODI Thursday, Oct 2 – Fourth ODI Sunday, Oct 5 – First T20I Monday, Oct 6 – Second T20I
A thousand grains of Sand whirl in the sky
To mark the journey of one passer-by
If then a Cavalcade disturbs the scene,
Shall such grains sing before they start to fly?
What man of Honour, and to Honour bred
Will fear to go wherever Truth has led?
For though a Thousand urge him to retreat
He'll laugh, until such counsellors have fled.
Stands always One, defiant and alone
Against the Many, when all Hope has flown.
Then comes the Test; and only then the time
Of reckoning what each can call his own.
History will not forget: that one small Seed
Sufficed to tip the Scales in time of need.
More than a debt, the Emirates owe to Zayed
Their very Souls, from outside influence freed.
No praise from Roderic can increase his Fame.
Steadfastness was the Essence of his name.
The changing years grow Gardens in the Sand
And build new Roads to Sand which stays the same.
But Hearts are not rebuilt, nor Seed resown.
What was, remains, essentially Alone.
Until the Golden Messenger, all-wise,
Calls out: "Come now, my Friend!" - and All is known
If you had all the money in the world, what’s the one sneaker you would buy or create?
“There are a few shoes that have ‘grail’ status for me. But the one I have always wanted is the Nike x Patta x Parra Air Max 1 - Cherrywood. To get a pair in my size brand new is would cost me between Dh8,000 and Dh 10,000.” Jack Brett
“If I had all the money, I would approach Nike and ask them to do my own Air Force 1, that’s one of my dreams.” Yaseen Benchouche
“There’s nothing out there yet that I’d pay an insane amount for, but I’d love to create my own shoe with Tinker Hatfield and Jordan.” Joshua Cox
“I think I’d buy a defunct footwear brand; I’d like the challenge of reinterpreting a brand’s history and changing options.” Kris Balerite
“I’d stir up a creative collaboration with designers Martin Margiela of the mixed patchwork sneakers, and Yohji Yamamoto.” Hussain Moloobhoy
“If I had all the money in the world, I’d live somewhere where I’d never have to wear shoes again.” Raj Malhotra
Our legal consultants
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
The biog
Fast facts on Neil Armstrong’s personal life:
Armstrong was born on August 5, 1930, in Wapakoneta, Ohio
He earned his private pilot’s license when he was 16 – he could fly before he could drive
There was tragedy in his married life: Neil and Janet Armstrong’s daughter Karen died at the age of two in 1962 after suffering a brain tumour. She was the couple’s only daughter. Their two sons, Rick and Mark, consulted on the film
After Armstrong departed Nasa, he bought a farm in the town of Lebanon, Ohio, in 1971 – its airstrip allowed him to tap back into his love of flying
In 1994, Janet divorced Neil after 38 years of marriage. Two years earlier, Neil met Carol Knight, who became his second wife in 1994
Profile
Company: Justmop.com
Date started: December 2015
Founders: Kerem Kuyucu and Cagatay Ozcan
Sector: Technology and home services
Based: Jumeirah Lake Towers, Dubai
Size: 55 employees and 100,000 cleaning requests a month
Funding: The company’s investors include Collective Spark, Faith Capital Holding, Oak Capital, VentureFriends, and 500 Startups.
Company profile
Name: Dukkantek
Started: January 2021
Founders: Sanad Yaghi, Ali Al Sayegh and Shadi Joulani
Based: UAE
Number of employees: 140
Sector: B2B Vertical SaaS(software as a service)
Investment: $5.2 million
Funding stage: Seed round
Investors: Global Founders Capital, Colle Capital Partners, Wamda Capital, Plug and Play, Comma Capital, Nowais Capital, Annex Investments and AMK Investment Office
1. Kylian Mbappe - to Real Madrid in 2017/18 - €180 million (Dh770.4m - if a deal goes through)
2. Paul Pogba - to Manchester United in 2016/17 - €105m
3. Gareth Bale - to Real Madrid in 2013/14 - €101m
4. Cristiano Ronaldo - to Real Madrid in 2009/10 - €94m
5. Gonzalo Higuain - to Juventus in 2016/17 - €90m
6. Neymar - to Barcelona in 2013/14 - €88.2m
7. Romelu Lukaku - to Manchester United in 2017/18 - €84.7m
8. Luis Suarez - to Barcelona in 2014/15 - €81.72m
9. Angel di Maria - to Manchester United in 2014/15 - €75m
10. James Rodriguez - to Real Madrid in 2014/15 - €75m
Results
5pm: Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 (Turf) 1,600m; Winner: Aahid Al Khalediah II, Pat Cosgrave (jockey), Helal Al Alawi (trainer)
5.30pm: Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 2,200m; Winner: Whistle, Harry Bentley, Abdallah Al Hammadi
6pm: Wathba Stallions Cup - Maiden (PA) Dh70,000 (T) 1,600m; Winner: Alsaied, Szczepan Mazur, Ibrahim Al Hadhrami
6.30pm: Emirates Fillies Classic – Prestige (PA) Dh100,000 (T) 1,600m; Winner: Mumayaza, Antonio Fresu, Eric Lemartinel
7pm: Emirates Colts Classic – Prestige (PA) Dh100,000 (T) 1,600m; Winner: Hameem, Adrie de Vries, Abdallah Al Hammadi
7.30pm: President’s Cup – Group 1 (PA) Dh2,500,000 (T) 2,200m; Winner: Somoud, Richard Mullen, Jean de Roualle
8pm: President’s Cup – Listed (TB) Dh380,000 (T) 1,400m; Winner: Medahim, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar
