Antony Blinken offered US support to Ukraine amid heightened tensions with Russia as Washington announced it would expand its presence in Germany, reversing cuts announced by the previous administration.
US Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin, also on a trip to Europe, announced that he would expand America's military presence in Germany by 500 troops. The move fulfils a promise to jettison a policy by previous US president Donald Trump.
In a phone call with President Vladimir Putin, Joe Biden reaffirmed the US commitment to Ukraine's territorial integrity and offered the Russian leader a one-on-one summit. Moscow meanwhile described the deployment of American warships to the Black Sea in solidarity with Kiev as extremely provocative.
Several countries in the West condemned the massing of Russian troops on Ukraine's border and in the annexed Crimea region, which could spark intensified conflict in the region. Fighting subsided in eastern Ukraine in 2020 as a ceasefire agreement took hold last July.
Mr Blinken, the US Secretary of State, has warned Moscow there would be consequences should Russia act aggressively or recklessly. On the first day of a visit to Europe he said the US stood “firmly behind the sovereignty and the territorial integrity of Ukraine".
He met Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba as diplomatic efforts intensified, with Mr Blinken saying Russia itself was taking “very provocative action”.
State Department spokesman Ned Price said Mr Blinken also expressed his concern over Russia's "aggressive rhetoric and disinformation" in talks with the Ukranian official.“In this struggle, the support of the United States is absolutely crucial and deeply appreciated,” Mr Kuleba said.
German officials offered to host a prospective US-Russian presidential meeting and welcomed Mr Austin's commitment of more not less US troops.
“This planned increase in US personnel underscores our commitment to Germany and the entire Nato alliance,” he said after talks with his German counterpart Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer.
Mr Austin said it showed “that we support Nato in the fullest extent".
On Tuesday, a senior Russian official labelled the US “an adversary" as tensions in eastern Ukraine showed no sign of abating.
Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov accused Nato countries of increasing arms supplies, thereby turning Ukraine “into a powder keg".
“Any threat only reinforces our conviction that we’re conducting the right policy,” he said.
"We're just defending our interests and the interests of our citizens, the Russian-speaking population. We'll continue to defend them."
He also warned the US to stay away from the Crimea and Russia's Black Sea coast.
On Tuesday, Nato Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg spoke of the situation at the Ukrainian border, describing the deployment as “the largest massing of Russian troops since the illegal annexation of Crimea in 2014”.
"Russia must end this military build-up in and around Ukraine, stop its provocations and de-escalate immediately," Mr Stoltenberg said at press conference alongside Mr Kuleba.
The Nato chief accused Russia of "trying to re-establish some kind of sphere of influence, where they try to decide what neighbours can do".
"That is a world we really try to leave behind," he said.
Ukraine sought a diplomatic solution but also appealed for greater military support, Mr Kuleba said.
"At the operational level, we need measures which will deter Russia and contain its aggressive intentions. This could be ... a new round of sanctions, which would raise the price of Russian aggression."
"This could be direct support aimed at strengthening Ukraine's defence capabilities, because we do know that Russia spares no effort to prevent third countries from co-operating with Ukraine in the defence sector. Russia is working hard to undermine our defence capabilities,” he said.
ESSENTIALS
The flights
Emirates flies from Dubai to Phnom Penh via Yangon from Dh2,700 return including taxes. Cambodia Bayon Airlines and Cambodia Angkor Air offer return flights from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap from Dh250 return including taxes. The flight takes about 45 minutes.
The hotels
Rooms at the Raffles Le Royal in Phnom Penh cost from $225 (Dh826) per night including taxes. Rooms at the Grand Hotel d'Angkor cost from $261 (Dh960) per night including taxes.
The tours
A cyclo architecture tour of Phnom Penh costs from $20 (Dh75) per person for about three hours, with Khmer Architecture Tours. Tailor-made tours of all of Cambodia, or sites like Angkor alone, can be arranged by About Asia Travel. Emirates Holidays also offers packages.
ELIO
Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett
Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina
Rating: 4/5
THE SPECS
Engine: 1.5-litre
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Power: 110 horsepower
Torque: 147Nm
Price: From Dh59,700
On sale: now
UK-EU trade at a glance
EU fishing vessels guaranteed access to UK waters for 12 years
Co-operation on security initiatives and procurement of defence products
Youth experience scheme to work, study or volunteer in UK and EU countries
Smoother border management with use of e-gates
Cutting red tape on import and export of food
Cricket World Cup League 2 Fixtures
Saturday March 5, UAE v Oman, ICC Academy (all matches start at 9.30am)
Sunday March 6, Oman v Namibia, ICC Academy
Tuesday March 8, UAE v Namibia, ICC Academy
Wednesday March 9, UAE v Oman, ICC Academy
Friday March 11, Oman v Namibia, Sharjah Cricket Stadium
Saturday March 12, UAE v Namibia, Sharjah Cricket Stadium
UAE squad
Ahmed Raza (captain), Chirag Suri, Muhammad Waseem, CP Rizwan, Vriitya Aravind, Asif Khan, Basil Hameed, Rohan Mustafa, Kashif Daud, Zahoor Khan, Junaid Siddique, Karthik Meiyappan, Akif Raja, Rahul Bhatia
In Full Flight: A Story of Africa and Atonement
John Heminway, Knopff
Fringe@Four Line-up
October 1 - Phil Nichol (stand-up comedy)
October 29 - Mandy Knight (stand-up comedy)
November 5 - Sinatra Raw (Fringe theatre)
November 8 - Imah Dumagay & Sundeep Fernandes (stand-up comedy)
November 13 - Gordon Southern (stand-up comedy)
November 22 - In Loyal Company (Fringe theatre)
November 29 - Peter Searles (comedy / theatre)
December 5 - Sinatra’s Christmas Under The Stars (music / dinner show)
Q&A with Dash Berlin
Welcome back. What was it like to return to RAK and to play for fans out here again?
It’s an amazing feeling to be back in the passionate UAE again. Seeing the fans having a great time that is what it’s all about.
You're currently touring the globe as part of your Legends of the Feels Tour. How important is it to you to include the Middle East in the schedule?
The tour is doing really well and is extensive and intensive at the same time travelling all over the globe. My Middle Eastern fans are very dear to me, it’s good to be back.
You mix tracks that people know and love, but you also have a visually impressive set too (graphics etc). Is that the secret recipe to Dash Berlin's live gigs?
People enjoying the combination of the music and visuals are the key factor in the success of the Legends Of The Feel tour 2018.
Have you had some time to explore Ras al Khaimah too? If so, what have you been up to?
Coming fresh out of Las Vegas where I continue my 7th annual year DJ residency at Marquee, I decided it was a perfect moment to catch some sun rays and enjoy the warm hospitality of Bab Al Bahr.
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
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
The biog
Name: Marie Byrne
Nationality: Irish
Favourite film: The Shawshank Redemption
Book: Seagull by Jonathan Livingston
Life lesson: A person is not old until regret takes the place of their dreams
The specs
Engine: 5.2-litre V10
Power: 640hp at 8,000rpm
Torque: 565Nm at 6,500rpm
Transmission: 7-speed dual-clutch auto
Price: From Dh1 million
On sale: Q3 or Q4 2022
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE’s revised Cricket World Cup League Two schedule
August, 2021: Host - United States; Teams - UAE, United States and Scotland
Between September and November, 2021 (dates TBC): Host - Namibia; Teams - Namibia, Oman, UAE
December, 2021: Host - UAE; Teams - UAE, Namibia, Oman
February, 2022: Hosts - Nepal; Teams - UAE, Nepal, PNG
June, 2022: Hosts - Scotland; Teams - UAE, United States, Scotland
September, 2022: Hosts - PNG; Teams - UAE, PNG, Nepal
February, 2023: Hosts - UAE; Teams - UAE, PNG, Nepal
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
T20 WORLD CUP QUALIFIERS
Qualifier A, Muscat
(All matches to be streamed live on icc.tv)
Fixtures
Friday, February 18: 10am Oman v Nepal, Canada v Philippines; 2pm Ireland v UAE, Germany v Bahrain
Saturday, February 19: 10am Oman v Canada, Nepal v Philippines; 2pm UAE v Germany, Ireland v Bahrain
Monday, February 21: 10am Ireland v Germany, UAE v Bahrain; 2pm Nepal v Canada, Oman v Philippines
Tuesday, February 22: 2pm Semi-finals
Thursday, February 24: 2pm Final
UAE squad:Ahmed Raza(captain), Muhammad Waseem, Chirag Suri, Vriitya Aravind, Rohan Mustafa, Kashif Daud, Zahoor Khan, Alishan Sharafu, Raja Akifullah, Karthik Meiyappan, Junaid Siddique, Basil Hameed, Zafar Farid, Mohammed Boota, Mohammed Usman, Rahul Bhatia
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Killing of Qassem Suleimani