Aggravation of the situation around Ukraine. The main thing

Lavrov named the conditions for severing relations with the West, Lukashenko explained why hundreds of thousands of military personnel from RUSSIA could be in Belarus.The main thing about the crisis around Ukraine and disputes between Russia and NATO - in the material of RBC

Highlights for January 28

Russia does not want war, although it will not allow other states to violate its rights, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said. “If it depends on the Russian Federation, there will be no war. We don't want wars," he said. The adoption of the toughest package of anti-Russian sanctions, which will include disconnection from the SWIFT system, will threaten to sever relations between Moscow and the West, Lavrov said. Belarusian President ALEXANDER LUKASHENKO said that hundreds of thousands of Russian troops would be on the territory of his country if it were attacked from outside. “Together with hundreds of thousands of Belarusians, they will defend this sacred land,” he promised. In the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic, they believe that the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine was developing a plan for an offensive in the Donbass under the guidance of advisers fromusa . According to the deputy HEAD of the People's Militia Department of the DPR Eduard Basurin, the start time of the operation will be set after the plan is approved by the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine. The United States and NATO, in Russia's written responses to its proposals on security guarantees, did not take into account Moscow's fundamental concerns: the inadmissibility of expanding the alliance to the east, the refusal to deploy strike weapons systems near Russian borders, and the bloc's return to the positions of 1997. About this Vladimir Putinsaid to Emmanuel Macron. German Foreign Minister Annalena Burbock assured that the expansion of NATO to the east and the inclusion of Ukraine in the alliance in the near future is out of the question. “We made it clear to the Russian government that we would not go any further. Now a small dialogue window opens. This is exactly what we should use,” she said.

What happened this week

Evacuation and DOLLAR for ₽80

The situation around Ukraine again became the main news story on Monday morning, January 24. Then it became known that the United States, and then Great Britain, Australia and Germany began to EXPORT diplomats and their families from Ukraine. This was explained by the "growing threat from Russia." And two days later, Washington recommended that its citizens in Ukraine "already consider the possibility of leaving the country by regular or private transport." In Moscow, these steps of Western countries were called strange. The actions of Western diplomats provoked a nervous reaction in the foreign exchange market. On Monday, the dollar exchange rate exceeded ₽79, the euro rose above ₽89. On Wednesday, these currencies overcame the levels of ₽80 and ₽90, respectively. The Central Bank tried to change the situation on the foreign exchange market by stopping buying foreign currency on the stock exchange. However, it was the statement of the Deputy DIRECTOR of the Press Information Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Alexei Zaitsev, that contributed to the appreciation of the ruble. The latter on January 27 said thatRussia does not allow "even the thought" of a war with Ukraine. Following this, the dollar and the euro retreated from their maximum values ​​in recent months. On Monday, NATO announced the transfer of ships and aircraft to Eastern Europe: Bulgaria, Romania and Lithuania. Spain, the Netherlands, and Denmark have announced their readiness to send additional forces to Eastern Europe. Allowed to increase their military presence in the region and the United States. According to The New York Times, Washington is discussing the possible deployment of up to 50,000 American troops to Eastern Europe.