While there are no guarantees that the current flurry of intense diplomatic activity over Ukraine will avert military conflict, there are nonetheless encouraging indications that they may yet succeed in defusing tensions.
With Russia about to embark on the largest military exercise conducted in the neighbouring state of Belarus since the end of the Cold War, the possibility of a full-scale conflict erupting over Ukraine cannot be discounted.
Moscow continues to deny it has any intention of launching an invasion against Ukraine. But the 10 days of Russian military exercises about to take place in Belarus, conducted against the backdrop of a 100,000-strong battlegroup deployed on Russia’s southern border with Ukraine, mean there is no let up in the pressure on Kiev.
The importance of the Belarus exercises is reflected in the fact that Moscow has sent several of its top military commanders to oversee the 30,000 Russian troops that are taking part. In addition, Russia has moved two battalions of its sophisticated S-400 anti-aircraft missile systems, as well as numerous fighter jets, into the country. The exercises will be overseen by Gen Valery Gerasimov, the chief of the Russian armed forces’ General Staff. Meanwhile, six Russian warships have been deployed to the Black Sea to carry out simultaneous exercises.
The combined presence of so many combat troops so close to the Ukrainian border has led to Nato leaders continuing to express concern about Moscow’s ultimate ambitions, with officials in Washington claiming that an invasion of Ukraine is “imminent”.
US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan warned in an interview over the weekend that Russia could take military action against Ukraine “any day now”, while US intelligence officials are predicting that Russia would be able to capture Kiev within two days. Such a move, they say, could result in the deaths of up to 50,000 civilians.
The scale of the threat Russia might pose to Ukraine has prompted an equally robust response from Nato, further adding fuel to the fire of potential conflict. Washington has deployed extra forces to Central Europe and the Baltic states to deter possible Russian actions, while other Nato allies such as Britain have deployed troops also.
Against this backdrop of frenzied military activity, there is, though, a growing realisation on both sides that diplomacy still offers the best hope of resolving the crisis, and to this end Nato leaders are engaged in high-stakes diplomatic efforts to achieve a peaceful resolution.
The Kremlin believes that Kiev needs to recognise pro-Moscow separatists in Donetsk and Luhansk
As British Prime Minister Boris Johnson travelled to Brussels to meet with Nato chief Jens Stoltenberg, he called on Russian President Vladimir Putin to show “real diplomacy” over the Ukraine crisis. At the same time, British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss travelled to Moscow for discussions with her Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov.
Germany’s newly appointed Chancellor Olaf Scholz has also been heavily engaged in diplomatic efforts to resolve the crisis, flying to Washington for his first meeting with US President Joe Biden earlier this week. The German leader was keen to reassure the White House that Germany was not going soft on the Ukraine issue because of Berlin’s dependency on Moscow for its energy needs.
But the high point of the West’s attempts to defuse tensions was undoubtedly French President Emmanuel Macron’s visit to Moscow earlier this week, where he had a five-hour meeting with Mr Putin to discuss ways to resolve the crisis. Mr Macron certainly provided an upbeat assessment of his meeting, claiming he had secured an assurance from Mr Putin that “there would be no deterioration or escalation”.
Even though the Kremlin later disputed the precise terms of the undertakings Mr Macron had received, Mr Putin confirmed that some of Mr Macron's proposals "could form the basis of further joint steps" – although they were "probably still too early to talk about". Ukrainian officials also made encouraging noises about the summit, with Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba remarking that “diplomacy is continuing to lower tensions”.
Nevertheless, it is clear that, at the very least, Mr Macron has established the parameters of a possible diplomatic solution to the crisis – one in which Moscow scales down its aggressive military posture towards Ukraine in return for Kiev agreeing to implement some of the proposals outlined in the Minsk agreement negotiated in 2014 and 2015 to establish a ceasefire in the Ukrainian conflict. Ukraine’s democratically elected government has been engaged in a long-running conflict with Russian-backed separatists, who are opposed to Kiev’s attempts to forge closer ties with the West.
The Kremlin believes that under the terms of the Minsk agreement Kiev needs to recognise pro-Moscow separatists in the eastern territories of Donetsk and Luhansk. Kiev insists the separatists need to disarm before any political solution can be found, and officials believe implementing the agreement could lead to the collapse of the Ukrainian state because, by allowing the Russian-backed territories a role in the constitution, they would be giving Moscow a direct say in the country’s affairs, thereby undermining its sovereignty.
The so-called “Findlandisation” of Ukraine, whereby the country’s destiny is controlled by Moscow (as Finland’s was during the Cold War) and not the Ukrainian people, is not a concept that attracts much support in Ukraine itself. Indeed, it is the reason Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, has given only lukewarm support for Mr Macron’s initiative.
"I do not really trust words,” said Mr Zelenskiy. “I believe that every politician can be transparent by taking concrete steps.”
Despite Kiev’s quite understandable reservations about allowing Moscow a say in how it conducts its affairs, it is clear that Mr Macron has identified a possible diplomatic resolution to the crisis, especially if, as he contends, the Kremlin has committed to withdrawing its forces from Belarus once the current round of military exercises have been concluded. Any sign that Moscow was scaling down its military presence so close to the Ukrainian border would undoubtedly constitute a major step towards defusing tensions in the region.
FFP EXPLAINED
What is Financial Fair Play?
Introduced in 2011 by Uefa, European football’s governing body, it demands that clubs live within their means. Chiefly, spend within their income and not make substantial losses.
What the rules dictate?
The second phase of its implementation limits losses to €30 million (Dh136m) over three seasons. Extra expenditure is permitted for investment in sustainable areas (youth academies, stadium development, etc). Money provided by owners is not viewed as income. Revenue from “related parties” to those owners is assessed by Uefa's “financial control body” to be sure it is a fair value, or in line with market prices.
What are the penalties?
There are a number of punishments, including fines, a loss of prize money or having to reduce squad size for European competition – as happened to PSG in 2014. There is even the threat of a competition ban, which could in theory lead to PSG’s suspension from the Uefa Champions League.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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The specs
Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
Power: 620hp from 5,750-7,500rpm
Torque: 760Nm from 3,000-5,750rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed dual-clutch auto
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh1.05 million ($286,000)
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now
The schedule
December 5 - 23: Shooting competition, Al Dhafra Shooting Club
December 9 - 24: Handicrafts competition, from 4pm until 10pm, Heritage Souq
December 11 - 20: Dates competition, from 4pm
December 12 - 20: Sour milk competition
December 13: Falcon beauty competition
December 14 and 20: Saluki races
December 15: Arabian horse races, from 4pm
December 16 - 19: Falconry competition
December 18: Camel milk competition, from 7.30 - 9.30 am
December 20 and 21: Sheep beauty competition, from 10am
December 22: The best herd of 30 camels
Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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UAE
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Canada
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Tearful appearance
Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday.
Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow.
She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.
A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.
Another way to earn air miles
In addition to the Emirates and Etihad programmes, there is the Air Miles Middle East card, which offers members the ability to choose any airline, has no black-out dates and no restrictions on seat availability. Air Miles is linked up to HSBC credit cards and can also be earned through retail partners such as Spinneys, Sharaf DG and The Toy Store.
An Emirates Dubai-London round-trip ticket costs 180,000 miles on the Air Miles website. But customers earn these ‘miles’ at a much faster rate than airline miles. Adidas offers two air miles per Dh1 spent. Air Miles has partnerships with websites as well, so booking.com and agoda.com offer three miles per Dh1 spent.
“If you use your HSBC credit card when shopping at our partners, you are able to earn Air Miles twice which will mean you can get that flight reward faster and for less spend,” says Paul Lacey, the managing director for Europe, Middle East and India for Aimia, which owns and operates Air Miles Middle East.
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
AL%20BOOM
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
HOW TO WATCH
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TikTok: @thenationalnews
UAE central contracts
Full time contracts
Rohan Mustafa, Ahmed Raza, Mohammed Usman, Chirag Suri, Mohammed Boota, Sultan Ahmed, Zahoor Khan, Junaid Siddique, Waheed Ahmed, Zawar Farid
Part time contracts
Aryan Lakra, Ansh Tandon, Karthik Meiyappan, Rahul Bhatia, Alishan Sharafu, CP Rizwaan, Basil Hameed, Matiullah, Fahad Nawaz, Sanchit Sharma
MATCH INFO
Burnley 1 (Brady 89')
Manchester City 4 (Jesus 24', 50', Rodri 68', Mahrez 87')
The fake news generation
288,000 – the number of posts reported as hate speech that were deleted by Facebook globally each month in May and June this year
11% – the number of Americans who said they trusted the news they read on Snapchat as of June 2017, according to Statista. Over a quarter stated that they ‘rarely trusted’ the news they read on social media in general
31% - the number of young people in the US aged between 10 and 18 who said they had shared a news story online in the last six months that they later found out was wrong or inaccurate
63% - percentage of Arab nationals who said they get their news from social media every single day.
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
SERIE A FIXTURES
Saturday Spezia v Lazio (6pm), Juventus v Torino (9pm), Inter Milan v Bologna (7.45pm)
Sunday Verona v Cagliari (3.30pm), Parma v Benevento, AS Roma v Sassuolo, Udinese v Atalanta (all 6pm), Crotone v Napoli (9pm), Sampdoria v AC Milan (11.45pm)
Monday Fiorentina v Genoa (11.45pm)
Kandahar%20
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Zayed Sustainability Prize
Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
England World Cup squad
Eoin Morgan (capt), Moeen Ali, Jofra Archer, Jonny Bairstow, Jos Buttler (wkt), Tom Curran, Liam Dawson, Liam Plunkett, Adil Rashid, Joe Root, Jason Roy, Ben Stokes, James Vince, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood
Global Fungi Facts
• Scientists estimate there could be as many as 3 million fungal species globally
• Only about 160,000 have been officially described leaving around 90% undiscovered
• Fungi account for roughly 90% of Earth's unknown biodiversity
• Forest fungi help tackle climate change, absorbing up to 36% of global fossil fuel emissions annually and storing around 5 billion tonnes of carbon in the planet's topsoil
F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
