This was a step that the U.S. leaders claimed brought Russia closer to their plan to invade Ukraine. The capital of Ukraine was filled with residents who prayed for peace in a cathedral with a gold dome.
Russia extended what it called military exercises that were originally scheduled to end Sunday. They brought about 30,000 Russian troops to Belarus, Ukraine’s neighbor to north. These Russian troops are part of at least 150,000 currently deployed outside Ukraine's borders. They also include tanks, warplanes and other war material.
Concerns were raised about the continued deployment of Russian forces in Belarus, which could lead to them being used to wipe out the Ukrainian capital Kyiv (a city of approximately 3 million people located less than three hours away).
On a sunny Sunday in winter Kyiv was filled with people enjoying brunches and services. This was ahead of the Russian attack that U.S. President Joe Biden declared late last week.
Katerina Spanchak was one of the many worshippers who fled eastern Ukraine after it was overthrown by Russian-allied separatists.
Spanchak stated, pausing to reflect, "We all love living, and we all are united by our love for life." It is important to appreciate it each day. It's the reason I believe everything will be okay.
"Our collective prayers will help to elude the tragedy, which is progressing," stated another worshipper, identified only as Oleh.
According to a U.S. official, Biden's claim that Putin made the decision to invade Ukraine was based upon intelligence that Russian front-line commanders had been ordered to start final preparations for an attack. An anonymous source spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive intelligence.
For weeks, the United States and European countries have claimed that Putin has built up enough forces to invade Ukraine. This is a westward-looking democracy who has tried to leave Russia's orbit and is now seeking pretexts for invasion.
If Putin did, the West has threatened to impose severe sanctions.
After Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the Ukrainian President, passionately pleaded Saturday for more from the West, U.S. officials defended Sunday's decision to delay their planned financial sanctions of Russia.
Fox's threat of sanctions against Washington was addressed by John Kirby, a Pentagon spokesperson.
Russia hosted nuclear drills Saturday, as well as conventional exercises in Belarus. There are also ongoing naval drills off of the coast in Black Sea.
After two days of sustained shelling along the contact line between Ukrainian soldiers and Russian-allied separatists, in eastern Ukraine, the Russians announced that they were withdrawing their pledge to withdraw from Belarus. This was an area that both Ukraine and the West fear could become a flashpoint for igniting conflict.
Biden addressed the National Security Council of the White House about Russia's military buildup in Ukraine. Officials at the White House did not immediately release details about their discussion, which lasted approximately two hours.
"We are talking about the potential war in Europe," U.S. vice president Kamala Harris stated earlier Sunday during a Munich security conference that saw urgent consultations between world leaders regarding the crisis. It's been more than 70 years and throughout those 70 years there has been security and peace.
Officials from the United States and Europe insisted that they were continuing to pursue what Antony Blinken, U.S. Secretary-of State, described as last-ditch diplomacy.
Zelenskyy appealed to Twitter on Sunday for a ceasefire. Russia denies plans to invade but the Kremlin didn't respond to Zelenskyy’s Saturday offer to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
After a conversation with French President Emmanuel Macron Macron, Putin incorrectly blamed Ukraine for the escalation in shelling along the Contact Line and NATO for "pumping modern weapons and ammunition into Ukraine". The Kremlin statement did not mention Zelenskyy's request for a meeting, but only mentioned a ceasefire in passing.
Macron, who is a leader in European efforts towards a peaceful solution with Russia, spoke to Zelenskyy separately, as well as to Boris Johnson, the British Prime Minister, and Biden. According to Macron's office, both the Ukrainian-Russian leaders have agreed to work towards a diplomatic solution in the "coming days and coming weeks."
Blinken, America's top diplomat, renewed Sunday his offer to meet with Sergey Lavrov, Russian Foreign Minister, this week, subject to the condition that Putin hasn't invaded Ukraine.
Blinken said that he still has the option to pull back "up to the last minute," NBC's Meet the Press reported.
An advisory was issued by the U.S. Embassy Moscow urging Russia to be more cautious. It advised that evacuation plans should not be dependent on U.S. government aid.
The immediate concern is for eastern Ukraine where pro-Russian rebel forces have been fighting Ukrainian forces since 2014. This conflict has claimed the lives of approximately 14,000 people.
Separatist leaders in eastern Ukraine's Donetsk and Lugansk have ordered a full military mobilization. They also sent more civilians to Russia. Russia has given about 700,000.00 passports for residents of rebel-held territories. For military action, it might be justified to claim that Russian citizens are in danger.
Officials from the separatist territories claimed that Ukrainian forces launched several artillery strikes over the past day, and that two civilians were killed in an unsuccessful attack on a village near Russia's border. According to the Ukrainian military, two soldiers were killed in firing by the separatist side on Saturday.
In an interview broadcast Sunday on Russian state TV, Dmitry Peskov, Putin's spokesperson, stated that tensions should be escalated to the point of causing irreparable damage.
Ukrainian soldiers claimed that they were not allowed to fire on the frontlines. Zahar Leshushun was looking out into the distance using a periscope and had been following the news throughout the day from the trench he occupies near Zolote.
"Right now we don't respond, ..."" was what the soldier said just before an incoming shell interrupted his speech. "Oh! They are now shooting at us. They aim at the command center."
