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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, right, speaks to German Chancellor Olaf Scholz during their meeting at The Mariinskyi Palace in Kyiv, Ukraine, on Monday. Scholz visited Ukraine as part of a flurry of Western diplomacy aimed at heading off a feared Russian invasion that some warn could be just days away. AP hide caption

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, right, speaks to German Chancellor Olaf Scholz during their meeting at The Mariinskyi Palace in Kyiv, Ukraine, on Monday. Scholz visited Ukraine as part of a flurry of Western diplomacy aimed at heading off a feared Russian invasion that some warn could be just days away.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz met with Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv on Monday, pledging solidarity with that country amid fears of a Russian invasion.

Speaking at a news conference with his counterpart, Scholz said Ukraine's sovereignty is non-negotiable, adding that he expects Russia to take clear steps to deescalate tensions.

Scholz also issued a threat of "far-reaching sanctions" if Moscow sends troops over the border. However, he didn't provide specific details on what those might be.

But the German leader has refused Ukraine's repeated pleas to send military aid and weapons as the United States and Britain have done, saying Germany has a longstanding policy of not sending that type of help to conflict zones.

Instead, Scholz stressed Germany's role as the largest source of financial aid to Ukraine, making a new pledge to extend 150 million euros to Kyiv.

After the meeting, Zelenskyy said the two nations "share the common vision that the escalation on the Ukrainian-Russian border is an unprecedented challenge for Europe and the world."

And in a news conference alongside Scholz, Zelenskyy suggested the possibility of dropping Ukraine's goal of NATO membership an issue at the heart of the conflict with Russia. It is a major reversal for Zelenskyy, who as recently as Sunday said he would continue to pursue joining the international alliance, regardless of Russian threats and skepticism among western countries.

"Maybe the question of open doors is for us like a dream," Zelenskyy said on Monday.

He added: "How much should Ukraine go on that path? ... Who will support us?"

Zelenskyy also responded to U.S. reports that Russia could be planning to launch an attack on Wednesday, according to the BBC.

"We are being threatened with a big war and the date of the military invasion is set again," he said in a statement, according to the BBC.

The leader praised the strength of his own country and proclaimed "our state today is stronger than ever."

"We want peace and we want to resolve all issues exclusively through negotiations," Zelenskyy reportedly said, predicting that the violence in Donbas and Crimea would soon end. Both regions, he said, would return to Ukrainian control through diplomatic means.

Wednesday would not be a day of war but rather a day of unity, he added.

Meanwhile, Russia denies plans to invade its neighbor, despite massing 100,000 soldiers on Ukraine's borders and another 30,000 soldiers near the Belarus-Ukraine border. The explanation it has offered the world is that it is merely conducting military exercises.

The Kremlin last week said its forces along the Belarus border would eventually return back to home bases in Russia but officials did not provide a timeframe for the withdrawal.

The White House says the operation is yet another escalation of tensions along the Ukraine border.

U.S. President Joe Biden and other Western leaders, including European Commission President Ursula Von der Leyen, have warned Russia that if it sends its forces into Ukraine, as it did in 2014, they will prevent the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline from coming online. That pipeline would transport gas from Russia to Germany Europe's longtime economic engine.

Scholz is planning on flying to Moscow to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday.

The leader's attempts to diffuse tensions and find a peaceful resolution, comes as several nations, including Germany, Australia, Israel, Japan and South Korea, are telling their citizens to evacuate from Ukraine.

On Monday, the U.S. State Department announced it is in the process of temporarily relocating its embassy operations from Kyiv to Lviv "due to the dramatic acceleration in the buildup of Russian forces."

"The Embassy will remain engaged with the Ukrainian government, coordinating diplomatic engagement in Ukraine. We are also continuing our intensive diplomatic efforts to deescalate the crisis," officials said in a statement.

The families of embassy staff were ordered to leave Ukraine on Jan. 23. On Monday evening, the State Department also told all U.S. citizens to depart Belarus, in part over Russia's military buildup.

Following a call with Zelenskyy on Sunday, the White House issued a statement saying "President Biden made clear that the United States would respond swiftly and decisively, together with its Allies and partners, to any further Russian aggression against Ukraine."

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German chancellor warns of far-reaching sanctions if Russia moves on Ukraine - NPR

A young woman walks past a Bitcoin symbol in the window of a company that offers blockchain application services.

Sean Gallup | Getty Images News | Getty Images

Cryptocurrencies rose Tuesday with U.S. equities as tensions between Ukraine and Russia appeared to be easing.

Bitcoin climbed 4.6% to $44,177.34, while ether rose 7.6% to $3,114.09, according to data from Coin Metrics. Almost the entire crypto market was higher Tuesday.

The moves are likely a "natural market surge" after it had been "resolutely neutral" for much of the past week, said Clara Medalie, research lead at crypto market data provider Kaiko. She added that both bitcoin and ether have broken through previous resistance and are headed for one-month highs.

"The past month has been bearish for nearly all crypto assets following a prolonged bout of low liquidity and macro-induced volatility," she said. "It remains to be seen whether this upside break has conviction, with bitcoin still trading nearly $20,000 below previous all time highs."

Tuesday's upward moves follow an announcement from Moscow that the Russian Defense Ministry has begun returning some troops to deployment bases after training exercises near the Ukraine border.

Bitcoin traded choppily on Monday as the conflict had appeared to escalate, while stocks ended the day lower. The cryptocurrency has been trading like more traditional risk assets for several months as its investor base becomes increasingly institutionalized.

Although the bounce is welcome, it also shows the correlation between traditional and digital markets is "as strong as ever," Valkyrie Investments CEO Leah Wald said.

"Going forward, we believe the expected rate hikes are priced in and will not have much effect on prices," she added. "Additionally, fundamentals including active wallet addresses, total transactions, and multiple crypto asset apps ascending to the top of app store download charts after the Super Bowl shows there is still strong interest in and demand for bitcoin and altcoins. We remain firmly bullish and stand behind our belief that the second half of this year is likely to see a strong rally in digital assets including bitcoin."

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Bitcoin and ether rise as Ukraine-Russia tensions appear to ease - CNBC

Moscow, Russia Fyodor, a middle-aged Russian man, pulls out his phone from his pocket and scrolls through photos of himself and several others in camouflage fatigues.

They are holding up assault rifles and machineguns next to the white, blue and red of a Russian flag decorated with the emblem of their unit, a sword-and-shield with an Orthodox cross.

Our group was called the Russian Orthodox Army, even though Im an atheist and we had both Christians and Muslims, he told this reporter in a Moscow cafe, before swiping to the next photo.

This guy on the left, he was a local guy. He was a Muslim, and he was my friend. He died.

Fyodor, or Fedya for short, does not want to be known by his real name.

In 2014, after watching the Ukraine conflict from afar, he says he was wary of propaganda and decided to travel to the Donbas to see for himself. He ended up joining the Russia-backed separatist movement in eastern Ukraine, taking up arms with local rebels.

They were fighting a war with the central government in Kyiv, which they saw as having taken power in an ultranationalist coup during the Euromaidan revolution.

Once, eight of us were out on patrol through a field when we came under mortar fire, he recalled. I dont know how we survived. There was debris flying all around me, I hurt my shoulder, and I still had to carry another guy who injured his legs. Im not a believer at all but it was a real miracle all of us got out of there alive.

Fyodor saw how the war brought out the worst in people, and the grim realities of the rebels own brand of justice. He claims he once came across a 12-year-old girl who had been raped.

The man that did this, lets just say hes not around any more, he said ominously. I would have him brought to trial, personally, but I understand the people that put him up against the wall.

When he took the girl to hospital, he saw how locals in Donetsk perceived the conflict.

The staff took him aside and asked whether Russian President Vladimir Putin would wish them a Happy New Year in his annual, televised address to the nation.

Unlike Crimea, separatist Donetsk Peoples Republic (DPR) and Luhansk Peoples Republic (LPR) were never absorbed into the Russian Federation. Neither were they recognised by any member states of the United Nations, including Russia.

You can see that they really wanted to be part of Russia, but that never happened, even though most of them have Russian passports now, he said, referring to Russias policy that has seen many in the rebel-controlled areas handed citizenship in recent years.

I cant speak for all of them, of course, but if you tell someone from Donetsk they are Ukrainian, theyll take that as an insult. I kind of feel bad for them, like we let them down.

Fyodor believes there is a distinct possibility of the current standoff escalating, but says he would not return to the front.

Sooner or later, I think, this conflict will turn hot. The guys at the front lines are under strict orders not to shoot, but you understand it only takes one shot from the other side and some hot-headed lads will return fire.

If a war does break out, I hope at least we will get to Kharkov, he said, using the Russian name for Ukraines second-largest city.

To Ukrainians, the northeastern metropolis is Kharkiv, a former industrial centre in the Soviet era.

Ninety-nine of the population there supports us anyway, claimed Fyodor, who is happy to watch the tensions from afar these days, as he works in advertising.

I wouldnt go back to war now, even though some of the lads are talking about it and theyre trying to draw me back in. Id only return to deliver humanitarian supplies. My shoulder still hurts sometimes from that mortar blast.

Yuri Tikhonov is another veteran, originally from Pskov in western Russia.

Like Fyodor, he was in his 30s when he travelled to the Donbas in November 2014 after watching events unfold on news channels.

Having spent his compulsory military service doing tech support, his only experience with firearms had been, to that point, firing three shots out of a rifle. He was understandably anxious.

Id taken part in re-enactments, but its one thing running around with a sword and another charging the battle lines with an assault rifle, Tikhonov, now in Saint Petersburg and working in construction, told Al Jazeera by phone.

I didnt have any romantic notions of war: my parents were veterans and knew what it was really like. But I had my mind set and I knew if I didnt go, Id never respect myself.

Im ashamed I didnt head there sooner because the closer to the start of the conflict, the more important each step. Another 15-20 men could decide the outcome of one battle.

When he arrived, Tikhonov was sent near the town of Debaltseve, where he handled communications and radio intel.

He was grateful not to be assigned to any assault divisions since he is as large as an elephant and cannot shoot.

His duties included listening in to the Ukrainian army, which transmitted their artillery coordinates openly over the air.

We listened in to the chatter from the Ukrainian army, who at the time were very poor at hiding their signals. We knew exactly where they were firing. It was very satisfying hearing: Fire! No, stop, stop! They can hear us! Theyre driving away! he said.

Even though he was not on the front line, Tikhonov still had a couple of close calls.

Luckily, no one ever fired on me directly, but looking back, I can see how I was so young and nave and I wasnt really scared of anything, he said. I was installing an antenna on a roof when suddenly we came under mortar fire. I figured I didnt have time to run and take cover. So I just stood there and clung on I was more scared of dropping the antenna.

In January and February 2015, Tikhonov took part in the battle of Debaltseve.

Id go outside for a smoke while artillery rounds are whizzing over my head, like a passing train but much faster, while mortar rounds whistled as they flew past, he said.

But we managed to defend Debaltsevo until February, when we handed it over to the LPR.

After that, Tikhonov and his team did not take part in any more battles and by April, it was time to go home.

War is very interesting. If you have good people around you, its remarkable. Id go down to the cellar to eat dinner with the other volunteers, sat down and listened to their stories of how they ended up there, and youre proud to stand side-by-side with them, he said.

I was assigned to the communist volunteers detachment, and even though Im far from a communist, we were all united.

They love their people and are willing to sacrifice their lives for them, so matter what their politics are, youre always on the level with them.

However, he was ashamed of all the looting he saw, particularly from his own side.

The LPR practically robbed entire cities, he said. They told [people] they were about to come under fire so everyone hid in the basement, while their apartments were ransacked.

Yuri does not think there will be another war, since taking over territory not to mention ruling it is an expensive undertaking for which the Russian government does not have the capacity.

Sure, it would be nice if all the Russian-speaking peoples lived together as one, but the government doesnt need Ukraine as another part of Russia, he said.

Ive heard theyre being real careful now and not letting just any new volunteers to the front line. For these sort of escalations, you need completely controllable people that wont try to storm Mariupol by themselves, because if you hit them too hard and the Ukrainians retreat, then well have to capture more territory. No one wants this.

The Russian army simply doesnt have the resources for such an expansive operation, he added. We might reach Kharkov, and thats it.

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Ex-Russian separatists on whether another Ukraine war is possible - Al Jazeera English

HELSINKI As the threat of a new Russian invasion of Ukraine grew, the European head of state with the longest and deepest experience dealing with Vladimir V. Putin fielded calls and doled out advice to President Emmanuel Macron of France and other world leaders desperate for insight into his difficult neighbor to the east.

What do you think about this about this, what about this, or this? Thats where I try to be helpful, said Sauli Niinisto, the president of Finland, as the harsh light gleaming off the snow and frozen bay poured into the presidential residence. They know that I know Putin, he added. And because it goes the other way around Putin sometimes says, Well, why dont you tell your Western friends that and that and that?

Mr. Niinisto, 73, said his role was not merely that of a Nordic runner, shuttling messages between East and West, but of borderland interpreter, explaining to both sides the thinking of the other. The departure from politics of Angela Merkel, who for years as Germanys chancellor led Europes negotiations with Mr. Putin, has made Mr. Niinistos role, while smaller, vital, especially as the drumbeat of war grows louder.

But Mr. Niinisto is not optimistic. Before and after his last long conversation with Mr. Putin last month, he said, he had noticed a change in the Russian. His state of mind, the deciding, decisiveness that is clearly different, Mr. Niinisto said. He believed Mr. Putin felt he had to seize on the momentum he has now.

He said it was hard to imagine that things would return to the way they had been before. The opposing sides disputed the Minsk agreement that the Russians insisted be honored. The remaining options boiled down to Russia pressuring Europe and extracting demands from the United States for the foreseeable future, or, he said, warfare.

Such plain speaking has made Mr. Niinisto, in the fifth year of his second six-year term, wildly popular in Finland. He is compared by some to Urho Kekkonen, who took power in 1956 and ruled Finland for 25 years, during the so-called Finlandization period of the Cold War.

We love him, said Juha Eriksson, as he sold Reindeer pelts, canned bear meat and smoked salmon sandwiches in a market next to ice shards in the bay. My generation had Kekkonen and he was the father of the country. And he is a little something like that. Its a pity that he must leave office soon.

Mr. Niinisto plays down his near 90 percent approval rating as consistent with his predecessors and dismisses the hyperbolic talk of his being some kind of Putin whisperer. Its an exaggeration that I somehow know more about Putin or his thinking, he said. He is clearly cautious about upsetting a relationship he has nurtured over a decade, including many meetings, countless phone calls and a game of ice hockey. Asked who was better, he responded diplomatically, Ive been playing all my life.

But he did point to some concrete benefits. After gaining support from Ms. Merkel, he said that he asked in 2020 if Mr. Putin would let Aleksei A. Navalny, the Russian opposition leader who accuses Russian operatives of poisoning him, to be flown to Germany for medical treatment. Mr. Navalnys office later thanked Mr. Niinisto.

He is a good person to call when you want to understand what is happening in the northeastern corner of Europe and especially if you want to understand the thinking of President Putin, said Alexander Stubb, a former prime minister and foreign minister, who has accompanied Mr. Niinisto in meetings with Mr. Putin. Hes a mastermind in power politics and in finding the right balance.

That Mr. Stubb was so effusive about the president itself said something about Mr. Niinistos overwhelming popularity, and political dominance, in Finland, as political tensions between the two are widely talked about here.

Mr. Niinisto derives his power from a critical national security meeting that he runs and from the Constitution, which states that foreign policy is led by the president of the republic in cooperation with the government.

Feb. 15, 2022, 5:59 p.m. ET

Its the president pause who is leading in cooperation, Mr. Niinisto explained, making it clear who came first.

Finnish officials say that Mr. Niinisto sheds his diplomatic modesty in private, and is known for his long political memory, cutting style and mission creep. I have been sometimes criticized for remembering too much my old history as minister of finance, he said with a smile.

Domestic policy is the territory of the prime minister, currently Sanna Marin, a 36-year-old former cashier and climate change campaigner who raised Mr. Niinistos ire in January, according to Finnish political observers, when she told Reuters that it was very unlikely that Finland would apply for NATO membership while she was in office.

I still say only that I see no major damages, he said, with visible restraint. Asked if her statement was constructive, he said I just repeat, no damages.

The NATO option mattered in Finland as a strategic tool to manage Mr. Putin. In a country with an abundance of sayings about the incorrigible nature of Russians (A Russian is a Russian even if you fry them in butter) Mr. Niinisto recalled one about Russian soldiers, saying, The Cossack takes everything, which is loose, which is not fixed.

The Kremlins position. President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia, who has increasingly portrayed NATOs eastward expansion as an existential threat to his country, said that Moscows growing military presence on the Ukrainian border was a response to Ukraines deepening partnership with the alliance.

Despite recalling that Mr. Putin once said the friendly Finnish neighbor would become the enemy soldier if it joined NATO, Mr. Niinisto, who boasts about Finlands impressive artillery, frequently asserts Finlands right to become a member of the alliance. I have said it to Putin too, very clearly, he said.

Mr. Niinisto has also spoken directly to other leaders he suggested were threats to democracy. In a memorable joint news conference at the White House in 2019, he looked squarely at President Donald J. Trump and said, You have a great democracy. Keep it going on.

He doesnt respect institutions, Mr. Niinisto said of Mr. Trump in the interview, whether it was the European Union or NATO. And the Finn considered the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol building a worrying sign for American democracy.

But in dealing with Mr. Putin, Mr. Niinisto tried to give Mr. Trump some pointers before a summit in 2018 in Helsinki, actually behind that wall, he said pointing across the room. Before a solicitous public performance that was widely considered a disaster for Mr. Trump, Mr. Niinisto told Mr. Trump that Mr. Putin respects the one who is fighting back.

Mr. Niinisto has said he told Mr. Biden something similar ahead of Mr. Bidens call with Mr. Putin over Ukraine last month.

Besides the difficulty of dealing with Mr. Putin, Mr. Biden and Mr. Niinisto share another, and tragic, history. In 1995, Mr. Niinistos first wife died in a car accident, leaving him to raise his two young sons.

I know his history, Mr. Niinisto said quietly, adding that he might bring it up to the American president, who also lost his wife in a car crash as a young politician, someday maybe if I had the possibility of having a longer sit with him.

Mr. Niinisto also picked up the pieces. In 2009, then the speaker of Parliament, he married Jenni Haukio, then a 31-year-old director of communications for the National Coalition Party and now a poet. They have a 4-year-old son, and their dogs have become beloved national mascots.

Before the couple met, he was engaged to Tanja Karpela, a former Miss Finland who was a member of Parliament in an opposition party. They broke up in 2004, and Ms. Karpela now trains scent detection dogs that track Siberian flying squirrels.

The year of their breakup coincided with the devastating tsunami in Thailand, where he was vacationing with his sons and was nearly swept away. He survived by clinging high up on an electric pole for more than an hour. The traumatic event still seemed to shake the staid president, who lost a hundred countrymen that day. People who were sitting beside you at breakfast, he said.

That was a natural disaster. Now he hoped his relationship with Mr. Putin, and the small moves it might create, would help his partners avoid a man-made one in Ukraine.

Dangerous times, he said.

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Finland's President Knows Putin Well. And He Fears for Ukraine. - The New York Times

Some diplomats and experts speculated that the White House had little appetite for a Senate confirmation hearing that could devolve into a debate about Nord Stream 2, a natural gas pipeline between Russia and Germany that members of both parties have criticized Mr. Biden for not opposing more vigorously. Republicans might also use a confirmation hearing to dredge up the past business activities in Ukraine of Mr. Bidens son, Hunter, although one Senate Republican official said he was aware of no plans to do so.

Also unclear is why Ukraine might not have immediately signed off on Ms. Brink, a Foreign Service officer for more than two decades who has been posted in two other former Soviet republics, Uzbekistan and Georgia.

The Kremlins position. President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia, who has increasingly portrayed NATOs eastward expansion as an existential threat to his country, said that Moscows growing military presence on the Ukrainian border was a response to Ukraines deepening partnership with the alliance.

Mr. Zelenskys office has consolidated much of its foreign policy activity with his chief of staff, Andriy Yermak, who speaks regularly to Mr. Bidens national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, in what has become the center of gravity of the U.S.-Ukrainian relationship. It is possible the Ukrainians prefer to keep it that way.

Ukrainian officials in recent years have also seen American ambassadors as patronizing scolds who continually issue statements and call meetings to reprimand Ukrainian elites over insider dealing and good governance failures.

And then there is the memory of the Trump years, and the dismissal of Ms. Yovanovitch. In the events leading to his impeachment, Mr. Trump, hoping to damage Mr. Biden before the 2020 election, leveraged U.S. military aid to pressure Mr. Zelensky to investigate Hunter Bidens work for a Ukrainian energy company, according to testimony during the impeachment hearings.

In April 2019, Mr. Trumps personal lawyer Rudolph W. Giuliani persuaded the president to remove Ms. Yovanovitch from the position after she opposed Mr. Giulianis efforts there to dig up dirt on Hunter Biden. (No evidence of wrongdoing was found on the part of Hunter Biden or his father. Mr. Trump denied doing anything improper and was acquitted in his Senate trial.)

In a reminder that the position can get tangled in Ukraines contentious domestic politics, some Ukrainian officials encouraged Mr. Giulianis opposition to Ms. Yovanovitch because her focus on anti-corruption initiatives threatened their interests. The countrys top prosecutor at the time, Yuriy Lutsenko, referred to Ms. Yovanovitch in a text message to an associate as an idiot, according to evidence released during the impeachment proceedings.

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Puzzle in Ukraine Crisis: Wheres the U.S. Ambassador? - The New York Times