World

Russian President Vladimir Putin has insisted he “of course” does not want a war in Europe amid conflicting claims he had withdrawn some his country’s forces from Ukraine’s borders. Speaking at a news conference following talks with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Mr Putin stressed he was not keen on a military confrontation. He also suggested

Russia has said some military units are returning to their bases as its foreign ministry said the West has been “humiliated” over its warnings about an invasion of Ukraine. The Russian Military of Defence (MoD) said it has been carrying out planned training exercises, including with Belarus, but some of those have been completed so

Any incursion into Ukraine would result in a “protracted crisis” for Moscow with “far-reaching damage for both Russia and the world”, Boris Johnson and Joe Biden have warned. In a call between the UK prime minister and the US president, the leaders called on Western allies to “remain united”. But they also said there remained

Russia has more military firepower than Ukraine – covering the land, air and sea. It has 900,000 active military personnel across its forces, compared with Ukraine’s 196,600. It is reflective of a wider military dominance that stems from a Russian defence budget that dwarfs Ukraine’s. The imbalance is greatest at sea, with Russia having 10

Bombs will drop on Ukraine within minutes of Vladimir Putin giving the order, the armed forces minister has warned. After telling all Britons on Friday to leave Ukraine immediately, James Heappey told Sky News: “My fear is it is very imminent, that’s not to say it’s definitely going to happen. “This is a warning because

Boris Johnson will hold talks with world leaders this week in an attempt to bring Russia “back from the brink” of war, as the Ukraine crisis enters a “critical juncture”. Number 10 warned on Sunday evening that its intelligence “suggests Russia could be a planning an invasion of Ukraine at any moment”, warning of “disastrous

The defence secretary has warned it is “highly likely” that Vladimir Putin will order an attack on Ukraine, despite ongoing talks to avert a war. Ben Wallace also said there is a “whiff of Munich in the air” – an apparent reference to the agreement that allowed the German annexation of the Sudetenland in 1938,

The US and its allies will “respond decisively” if Russia invades Ukraine, President Joe Biden has told Vladimir Putin in a phone call. Mr Biden told his counterpart the US remains prepared to engage in diplomacy despite the build up of Russian troops on the border with Ukraine, but was “equally prepared for other scenarios”.

France has dropped its COVID-19 testing requirement for vaccinated travellers arriving from the UK. The French interior ministry has said that from 12 February, travellers will not need to test as long as they are vaccinated according to European regulations. This applies regardless of where a traveller is coming from. Bonjour, Stéph in place now

Britons are being advised against all travel to Ukraine and those already in the country are being told to leave while they can. The action came as Boris Johnson told world leaders he “feared for the security of Europe” over the threat of a Russian invasion of Ukraine. In a virtual meeting on Friday evening,

The Foreign Office has signed off tougher sanctions on Russia just hours ahead of a self-imposed deadline – and after Foreign Secretary Liz Truss held stormy talks with her counterpart in Moscow. New legislation was laid in parliament on Thursday that gives ministers the power to impose tough new sanctions on Russian oligarchs and businesses.

Boris Johnson has warned “the stakes are very high” amid ongoing fears of a Russian invasion of Ukraine, and warned that the next few days are probably the “most dangerous moment”. Holding a news briefing with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, the prime minister said it was “time to de-escalate” adding: “We must resist, we

The last foreign secretary to visit Russia was Boris Johnson in 2017. Things weren’t easy then and that was before the Salisbury poisonings. They are a lot harder now. Liz Truss will meet a wily, combative and much more experienced counterpart in Sergei Lavrov – who takes no prisoners. Whether they manage to make any

At least 14 people died and 35 people were injured after a mudslide brought on by heavy rains hit a town in western Colombia, officials have said. One person is missing after the disaster in a residential area of the Dosquebradas municipality near the town of Pereira in Risaralda province on Tuesday, Carlos Maya, the

Spy planes are conducting missions to track Russian movements, which might include listening to Russian soldiers’ phone calls home, according to one expert. The planes are equipped with devices that allow them to collect signals sent from Russian bases and to intercept communications. Sky News analysis of flight tracking data from a typical day in

China is targeting Uyghurs and critics abroad, pressuring other countries to detain and deport them, an investigation by Sky News has found, with high-ranking Chinese officials even conducting interrogations at “black sites” abroad. Chinese agents and police routinely operate abroad, attempting to identify Uyghurs who have fled China. Some are coerced into spying for the