Russia Ukraine News Highlights: Russia announced a new drawdown of military forces from the Moscow-annexed Crimean peninsula on Thursday, despite Ukraine's Western allies meeting similar announcements with scepticism. "Units of the southern military district that ended tactical exercises at training grounds on the Crimean peninsula are returning by rail to their permanent bases," the defence ministry said in a statement carried by Russian news agencies.
State-run television showed columns of military hardware crossing a recently-constructed bridge connecting the peninsula to the Russian mainland.
Thursday's announcement is the latest reported drawdown of a Russian military force estimated by the West to be more than 100,000 troops, which Washington had said could be preparing to invade.
NATO, the United States and European leaders have denied, however, that there is any meaningful pullback of Russian troops and Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky said Moscow's military personnel were actually rotating.
Russia took control of the Crimean peninsula in 2014 and threw its weight behind pro-Moscow separatists in fighting that broke out that year and has claimed more than 14,000 lives.
What has happened so far?
In November last year, satellite images revealed a build-up of 1,00,000 Russian troops and heavy military equipment along the borders of pro-West Ukraine. In December, Joe Biden warned Russia of economic sanctions if it invades Ukraine. The Kremlin had a host of security demands for the West. Russia insists that NATO must assure that Ukraine will never be admitted as a member. Russia also demanded that NATO must cease all military activity in eastern Europe.
In January, Biden assured Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy that the US will “respond decisively” if Russia invades Ukraine. NATO put its forces on standby and reinforces its military presence in Eastern Europe with more ships and fighter jets. Several countries including US, Germany, Italy, Britain, Ireland, Belgium, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Canada, Norway, Estonia, Lithuania, Bulgaria, Slovenia, Australia, Japan, Israel, Saudi Arabia and UAE urged citizens to leave Ukraine amid the possibility of a full-blown war. Many countries warned that a military evacuation may not be possible if tensions break out.
Diplomatic talks between United States and Russian officials yielded no result as Washington reiterated they cannot accept Kremlin’s demands. Vladimir Putin said his concerns have not been addressed but was ready to keep talking. He denied planning an invasion on Ukraine after Biden warned of a likely attack in February.
The live blog session has concluded. For more news, views and updates, stay tuned with Moneycontrol.com.
Russia Ukraine Conflict LIVE Updates | Ukraine president says will not respond to Russian provocations
Reports that Ukraine has been shelling regions controlled by Moscow-backed separatists and inside the Russian border are "pure lies", Ukraine's president said on Saturday, adding that his country would not respond to provocations.
President Voldymyr Zelenskiy was addressing senior Western security officials at the annual Munich Security Conference amid reports of explosions inside Russian territory to Ukraine's east, and in breakaway regions of Ukraine.
"What was shown yesterday in the temporarily occupied territories, some shells allegedly flying from our side, some flying all the way to Rostov, these are pure lies," he said. "They are blowing up something on their side." He urged Western countries not to wait for a possible Russian invasion to impose sanctions on Russia.
Reuters
Russia-Ukraine Conflict LIVE Updates | Germany asks citizens to leave Ukraine 'urgently'
Germany's foreign ministry said Saturday that German citizens were "urgently requested to leave (Ukraine) now," as fears mounted that Russia could invade itsneighbourin the coming days.
National carrier Lufthansa also said it was suspending regular flights to the cities ofKyivand Odessa from Monday until the end of February "due to the current situation." (AFP)
How a Russia-Ukraine conflict might hit global markets
A potential invasion of Ukraine by neighbouring Russia would be felt across a number of markets, from wheat and energy prices and the region's sovereign dollar bonds to safe-haven assets and stock…... Read More
Russia Ukraine Conflict LIVE Updates | Lavrov tells France ignoring Russian demands is bad for stability
Russia's top diplomat told France's foreign minister by phone on Saturday that ignoring Moscow's security demands was bad for stability in Europe and elsewhere, Russia's foreign ministry said, as tensions surged in eastern Ukraine.
Sergei Lavrov, Russia's veteran foreign minister, told France's Jean-Yves Le Drian that all countries should comply with their commitments to ensure the principle of "equal and indivisible security", the ministry said.
"Ignoring Russia's legitimate rights in this area adversely affects the stability not only on the European continent, but also in the world," it said in a statement. For his part, Le Drian said that dialogue was still possible, and that France was committed to work for it, but it was up to Russia to make that choice.
Reuters
Russia Ukraine Conflict LIVE Updates | Pro-Russian Donetsk region in eastern Ukraine limits daily cash withdrawals, TASS says
The central bank of self-proclaimed Donetsk republic in eastern Ukraine put a limit to withdraw a maximum 10,000roubles($129) per day from ATMs on Saturday, TASS news agency reported, as clashes between Russian-backed separatists and Ukrainian forces resumed this week.
Reuters reporters saw people quelling at ATMs on Friday and as local citizens started to evacuate to nearby Russian region of Rostov. Card payments in the region were so far stable, according to Reuters witnesses.
Russia Ukraine Conflict LIVE Updates | Russia is 'poised to strike' Ukraine, US defense secretary says
U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said on Saturday that Russia's military was "poised to strike" Ukraine, even as he voiced hope that Russian President Vladimir Putin would step back from the brink of war.
Austin vowed Washington would stand with its Baltic allies during a visit to Lithuania on Saturday, as the region anxiously weighed the risks of a possible invasion. Russia denies planning any attacks. "I want everyone in Lithuania, Estonia, and Latvia to know -- and I want President (Vladimir) Putin in the Kremlin to know -- that the United States stands with our allies," Austin told a news conference in Vilnius, after talks with Lithuanian leaders. (Reuters)
Russia Ukraine Conflict LIVE Updates | US Vice President Kamala Harris warns Russia of 'huge financial costs' if it invades Ukraine
The United States, together with its allies, will impose significant and unprecedented economic costs on Russia if it further invades Ukraine, Vice President Kamala Harris said on Saturday. National borders should not be changed by force, she said.
"We have prepared economic measures that will be swift, severe, and united," Harris said. "We will target Russia's financial institutions and key industries."
The United States will not stop with economic measures, but will further reinforce the eastern flank of NATO, Harris said at the Munich Security Conference, which she attended in person.
Reuters
Russia Ukraine Conflict LIVE Updates | German Chancellor says Russian attack on Ukraine would be "serious mistake"
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said on Saturday that a Russian attack on Ukraine would be a "serious mistake" with high "political, economic and geostrategic costs". There was no justification for some 100,000 soldiers massing on Ukraine's borders, he told the Munich Security Conference in a livestreamed speech.
"Russia has made the issue of Ukraine's possible NATO membership a casus belli, which is a paradox because here is no decision on this on the agenda," he said. The West was nonetheless ready to negotiate over Russia's security demands "without being naive". "We will differentiate clearly between untenable demands and legitimate security interests," he added.
Reuters
Russia Ukraine Conflict LIVE Updates: China would back Russia, diplomatically, if it moved on Ukraine, say analysts
China would back Russia diplomatically and perhaps economically if it invades Ukraine, worsening Beijing's already strained relations with the West, but would stop short of providing military support, experts said. U.S. President Joe Biden said on Friday that Russia's Vladimir Putin had decided to invade Ukraine within days, a claim Russia denies.
China's foreign ministry has repeatedly blamed the United States for "spreading false information" and creating tensions, urging it to respect and address Russia's demands for security guarantees. In a show of solidarity, Putin visited Beijing for the Feb. 4 opening ceremony of the Olympics, declaring with Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping a deepening "no limits" strategic partnership. Chinese state media said the two countries stood "shoulder to shoulder in upholding justice in the world".
A Russian invasion into Ukraine would test China's resolve to put those supportive words into action, especially given China's oft-stated foreign policy principle of non-interference. China almost certainly would not want to be involved militarily, experts familiar with Beijing's thinking say. Although China and Russia have moved beyond "marriage of convenience" to a quasi-alliance, relations between the giant neighbours are far from a formal alliance requiring one to send troops should the other face threats, said Shi Yinhong, an international relations professor at Renmin University.
China has consistently called for the Ukraine crisis to be resolved peacefully through dialogue. "Just as China does not expect Russia to help it militarily in the case of war over Taiwan, Russia does not expect China to help militarily over Ukraine, nor does it need such help," said Li Mingjiang, associate professor at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies in Singapore.
Reuters
Russia Ukraine Conflict LIVE Updates: Crisis far from over: What to know as tension grinds on
Spiking tensions in eastern Ukraine are heightening Western fears of a Russian invasion and a new war in Europe, with U.S. President Joe Biden saying he’s “convinced” that Russian President Vladimir Putin has made the decision to invade. NATO countries fear that the volatile east, which has seen intense shelling in recent days and orders for civilians to evacuate, could be a flashpoint in their tensest standoff with Russia since the Cold War, providing the Kremlin with a pretext to invade Ukraine.
The United States upped its estimate of Russian troops for a possible invasion to as many as 190,000. Russia also plans to hold military exercises Saturday, including multiple practice launches of intercontinental ballistic missiles and cruise missiles in a display of military might.
The United States and its European partners are keeping on with their strategy of diplomacy and deterrence, offering to keep talking with the Kremlin while threatening heavy sanctions if an invasion happens.
Here’s a look at what is happening where and why
Russia Ukraine Conflict LIVE Updates: Separatist leaders in eastern Ukraine declare full military mobilisation
Separatist authorities on February 18 announced plans to evacuate around 700,000 people, citing fears of an imminent attack by Ukrainian forces – an accusation Kyiv flatly denied... Read More
Russia Ukraine Conflict LIVE Updates: Russian parliament's call for east Ukraine independence sparks alarm
Possible Russian recognition of separatist "republics" independent from Kyiv is threatening to derail an already fragile peace process, as fears grow of large-scale conflict in eastern Ukraine.
Tensions between the West and Russia over Ukraine have soared in recent months, after Moscow massed tens of thousands of troops near its neighbour's border. Western leaders say Russia could launch an attack on Ukraine at any moment, though Moscow has denied such plans. But an appeal by Russia's parliament to President Vladimir Putin to recognise the independence of the self-proclaimed "republics" of Donetsk and Lugansk in Ukraine's industrial east has raised alarm.
Kyiv has been battling pro-Russia separatists in its eastern regions since 2014 in a conflict that has claimed around 14,000 lives. Fighting has largely diminished since the 2014 and 2015 Minsk accords, under which Russia and Ukraine agreed to a ceasefire and a roadmap to a political settlement. But that process has hit a wall, with each side accusing the other of not fulfilling its end of the deal.
Ukraine's foreign ministry told AFP that a Moscow recognition of the republics would make Russia "totally responsible for destroying the Minsk accords".
France's Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian has warned that any recognition would be tantamount to "an attack without weapons, and dismantling of the unity and integrity of Ukraine". (AFP)
Russia Ukraine Conflict LIVE Updates: US says 40% of Russian forces on Ukraine border in attack position
More than 40 percent of the Russian forces on the Ukraine border are now in position for attack and Moscow has begun a campaign of destabilization, a US defense official said Friday.
The United States, which estimates that Russia has placed more than 150,000 troops near Ukraine's borders, has observed significant movements since Wednesday, the official said, insisting on anonymity. "Forty to fifty percent are in an attack position. They have uncoiled in tactical assembly in the last 48 hours," the official told reporters.
Tactical assembly points are areas next to the border where military units are set up in advance of an attack.
The official said Moscow had massed 125 battalion tactical groups close to the Ukraine border, compared to 60 in normal times and up from 80 at the beginning of February. The increase in clashes between pro-Russian separatists and Ukraine government forces in the southeastern Donbas region of Ukraine, and inflammatory claims by officials in Russia and Donbas, show that "the destabilization campaign has begun," the official said.
Washington has warned for weeks that Russia could provoke or fabricate an incident in the area to serve as a pretext for invading Ukraine.
US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin told ABC News' "This Week" that Russian President Vladimir Putin "has a number of options available to him and he could attack in short order." "I don't believe it's a bluff," Austin said, adding, "I think he's assembled... the kinds of things that you would need to conduct a successful invasion."
Moscow denies it has plans to attack its western neighbor, but is demanding a guarantee that Ukraine will never join NATO and that the Western alliance remove forces from Eastern Europe, demands the West has refused. In 2014, Russia invaded and occupied the Crimea region of Ukraine, making use of sympathetic separatists. (AFP)
Russia Ukraine Conflict LIVE Updates: Impact | Ukraine showdown casts shadow over Qatar gas summit
Leading gas producers meet in Qatar from Sunday to discuss how to answer frantic world demand, with Russian President Vladimir Putin expected to stay away as Ukraine tensions soar, diplomats said.
The 11-member Gas Exporting Countries Forum holds its annual summit as the Ukraine showdown sends prices ever higher while Europe fears for its supplies from Russia.
The group that includes Russia, Qatar, Iran, Libya, Algeria and Nigeria -- accounting for more than 70 percent of proven gas reserves -- has faced mounting pressure as Europe has sought alternative suppliers to Russia. But most say they are already at or near maximum production and can only send short term relief supplies to Europe if existing customers agree.
Diplomats who took part in preparatory meetings said the group -- which does not include key producers Australia and the United States -- will discuss ways to increase production in the medium term. "But their hands are tied, there is next to no spare gas," said one, speaking on condition of anonymity.
After two days of ministerial meetings, Iran's President Ebrahim Raisi, who has rarely left his country since taking office, is to join Qatar's emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, for the summit on Tuesday.
Putin is not expected to take up his invitation to attend despite his country's importance, diplomats said.
Thierry Bros, a professor at the Institute of Political Studies in Paris who specialises in the gas industry, said Russia has a dominant role in the industry as its Gazprom giant is the only enterprise with spare capacity. "So it is Putin who decides and he decides at the Kremlin." (AFP)
Russia Ukraine Conflict LIVE Updates: Commodities market to remain tizzy until diplomatic efforts resolve Ukraine-Russia stand-off
Unless there is clear guidance from the US Fed, commodities market players may continue to look at economic numbers and central bank rate hike comments... Read More
ussia Ukraine Conflict LIVE Updates: Ukraine's Lugansk rebel leader declares general mobilisation
R
The leader of the Lugansk separatist region in eastern Ukraine issued a general mobilisation order Saturday, with fears rising of a major escalation in fighting.
"I rule to declare a general mobilisation on the territory of the Lugansk People's Republic," said the decree, which was signed by the region's head Leonid Pasechnik. (AFP)
Russia Ukraine Conflict LIVE Updates: Ukraine rebel leader announces 'general mobilisation'
The leader of the east Ukraine breakaway region of Donetsk on Saturday said he had introduced general mobilisation, with fears mounting of war in the ex-Soviet country. The announcement came after observers from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe reported a significant rise in attacks on the frontline in eastern Ukraine, controlled by pro-Russian rebels.
"I urge my fellow citizens who are in the reserves to come to military conscription offices. Today I signed a decree on general mobilisation," Denis Pushilin, the leader of the so-called Donetsk People's Republic, said in a video statement.
Pushilin claimed his region's forces had prevented attacks he said were planned by Ukraine, and that the Ukrainian army had continued attacks. "Together, we will achieve for all of us the victory we desire and need. We will protect Donbas and all Russian people," he added.
Kyiv has repeatedly denied any plans to regain control of separatist-held areas using force, including the Crimean peninsula, which was annexed by Moscow in 2014. More than 14,000 people have been killed in fighting between Ukraine's army and Moscow-supported separatists since fighting broke out in 2014. (AFP)
JUST IN |
Russian President Vladimir Putin to speak to French President Emmanuel Macron on Sunday as Ukraine tensions spike, says Kremlin (AFP Alert)
Russia Ukraine Conflict LIVE Updates: Ukraine reports 12 ceasefire violations by separatists on Saturday morning
The Ukrainian military said it had recorded 12 ceasefire violations by pro-Russian separatists in east Ukraine on Saturday morning after 66 cases over the previous 24 hours.
Separatists opened fire on more than 20 settlements, using heavy artillery, which have been prohibited by Minsk agreements, the military said on its Facebook page.
Incidents of shelling across the line dividing government forces and separatists increased sharply this week, in what the Ukrainian government called a provocation. It strongly denied suggestions by Russia that Kyiv could launch an offensive in eastern Ukraine. (Reuters)
Russia Ukraine Conflict LIVE Updates: Ukraine, Russian-backed rebels accuse each other of fresh attacks
Ukraine's armed forces and Moscow-backed rebels on Saturday accused each other of serious ceasefire breaches that have intensified fears of a Russian invasion of its western neighbour.
The armed forces in Kyiv reported 66 exchanges of fire by 7:00 am (0400 GMT) -- a particularly high number -- while the rebels in the separatist stronghold Donetsk called the situation "critical". (AFP)
Russia Ukraine Conflict LIVE Updates: Western sanctions on Russia may have to deal with unconventional invasion: Official
Russia is ready to invade Ukraine but the Kremlin could use an unconventional attack on its former Soviet neighbour which might require the West to make a swift judgment call on the imposition of Russian sanctions, a senior Western official said.
Russian-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine said on Friday they planned to evacuate their breakaway region's residents to Russia, a stunning turn in a conflict the West believes Moscow could use to justify an invasion of Ukraine.
Russia denies Western accusations it is planning an all-out invasion of Ukraine and Russian President Vladimir Putin has accused the West of ignoring Moscow's concerns about the post-Cold War enlargement of NATO. "The Russians are ready to go if they chose to do that," a senior Western official said on condition of anonymity.
Asked about the separatist evacuation, the official said: "We are seeing a continuing series of events which could be a series of pretexts for a Russian military action."
The Ukraine crisis, the official said, was entering its most dangerous phase to date. Read details here
Russia Ukraine Conflict LIVE Updates: US, Russia can back off without losing any face
Any de-escalation will help sentiment in the markets and the global economy, which is slowly emerging from the pandemic... Read More
Russia Ukraine Conflict LIVE Updates:India treads carefully, chooses the diplomatic middle path
New Delhi, caught between two key allies, the USA and Russia, is being asked to take a stand. It's a kind of a Hobson’s Choice if war breaks out. Therefore, global diplomats are scurrying across the European continent, trying to restore calm, without too much success so far.
India, as in the past, has put its eggs in the diplomatic, rather than the military basket.
Hotlines were ringing last week between Melbourne, where the Quad foreign ministers of Australia, India and Japan, and the US secretary of state met; and New York, currently the venue of a crucial UN Security Council meeting; with Moscow sandwiched in between. From this frenzy of communication, it was clear that a military solution to settle the Russian-Ukrainian dispute suits India the least.
India’s permanent representative to the UN, Ambassador TS Tirumurti, said on February 17 that New Delhi’s interest is in finding a solution that provides for `immediate de-escalation of tension.’ ``Any step that increases tension may best be avoided by all sides in the larger interest of securing international peace and security,” he said, amid a US warning that Russia invasion of Ukraine may happen any time now – making it sound inevitable. Read full here
Russia Ukraine Conflict LIVE Updates: Vladimir Putin: A crafty strategist or an aggrieved and reckless leader?
At this moment of crescendo for the Ukraine crisis, it all comes down to what kind of leader President Vladimir Putin is.
In Moscow, many analysts remain convinced that the Russian president is essentially rational, and that the risks of invading Ukraine would be so great that his huge troop buildup makes sense only as a very convincing bluff. But some also leave the door open to the idea that he has fundamentally changed amid the pandemic, a shift that may have left him more paranoid, more aggrieved and more reckless.
The 20-foot-long table Putin has used to socially distance himself this month from European leaders flying in for crisis talks symbolizes, to some longtime observers, his detachment from the rest of the world. For almost two years, Putin has ensconced himself in a virus-free cocoon unlike that of any Western leader, with state television showing him holding most key meetings by teleconference alone in a room and keeping even his own ministers at a distance on the rare occasions that he summons them in person.
Speculation over a leader’s mental state is always fraught, but as Putin’s momentous decision approaches, Moscow commentators puzzling over what he might do next in Ukraine are finding some degree of armchair psychology hard to avoid.
At home, Putin has always been keen to project the aura of a sober statesman, overruling the nationalist firebrands on prime-time talk shows and in parliament who have been urging him for years to annex more of Ukraine.
And while he casts himself as Russia’s guarantor of stability, he could face stark economic headwinds from Western sanctions and social upheaval if there are casualties on the battlefield and among civilians. Millions of Russians have relatives in Ukraine. Read full here
Russia Ukraine Conflict LIVE Updates: Oil prices end week mixed on supply disruption
Oil prices ended the week mixed on Friday, with U.S. crude snapping eight weeks of gains, as the prospect of increased Iranian oil exports eclipsed fears of potential supply disruption resulting from the Russia-Ukraine crisis.
Brent crude futures settled 57 cents, or 0.6%, higher at $93.54 a barrel, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude ended down 69 cents, or 0.5%, ato $91.07 a barrel. Both benchmarks hit their highest levels since September 2014 on Monday, but the prospect of easing oil sanctions against Iran has weighed on the market. Brent posted a small 0.9% rise in its ninth straight week of gains while WTI fell 1.7% this week.
Fears over possible supply disruptions resulting from the Russian military presence at Ukraine's borders have limited losses this week. The West has threatened Russia, a top oil and gas supplier, with new sanctions if it attacks Ukraine; Russia denies planning any attacks. Any sanctions that may be imposed on Russia by the European Union should not include energy imports, Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi said.
U.S. President Joe Biden will give an update on the Russia-Ukraine situation at 4 p.m. (2100 GMT) on Friday, the White House said. Read full here
Russia Ukraine Conflict LIVE Updates: Russia-Ukraine conflict explained in 5 points
Russian defence ministry spokesman told AFP said that some forces deployed near Ukraine had completed their exercises and were packing up to leave.... Read More
Russia Ukraine Conflict LIVE Updates:
Late on Friday, Ukraine's military intelligence said Russian special forces had planted explosives at social infrastructure facilities in Donetsk, and it urged residents to stay at home. Asked about the evacuation of the region now, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said it was a "good example" of what Washington fears. "We have ... long predicted for all of you that the Russians would take part in pretexts or steps that would lay a predicate for either war or to create confusion or spread misinformation on the ground," she told reporters.
Hours after the evacuation announcement, a jeep exploded outside a rebel government building in the city of Donetsk, capital of the region of the same name. Reuters journalists saw the vehicle surrounded by shrapnel, a wheel thrown away by the blast. Russian media said it belonged to a separatist official.
Many families in the mostly Russian-speaking area have already been granted citizenship by Moscow and within hours, some were boarding buses at an evacuation point in Donetsk, where authorities said 700,000 people would leave. Irina Lysanova, 22, said she was packing to travel with her pensioner mother: "Mama is a panicker," she said. Her father, Konstantin, 62, was not going. "This is my motherland," he said.
The evacuation started after the simmering eastern Ukraine conflict zone saw what sources described as the most intense artillery bombardment for years on Friday.
Ukraine was the most painful loss for Russia of the 14 former republics under its control prior to the 1991 break-up of the Soviet Union. The Russian-backed rebels seized a swathe of eastern Ukraine in 2014, the same year that Moscow annexed Ukraine's Crimea region. Kyiv says that more than 14,000 people have since died in the conflict in the east. As the Kremlin shows off its military capacity on several fronts, the Russian president was to supervise exercises of its strategic nuclear missile forces on Saturday.
Russia Ukraine Conflict LIVE Updates: Joe Biden convinced Russia will invade Ukraine as civilians bussed out
Russia's Vladimir Putin has decided to invade Ukraine within days, US President Joe Biden said on Friday after separatists backed by Moscow told civilians to leave breakaway regions on buses, a move the West fears is part of a pretext for an attack.
In one of the worst post-Cold War crises, Russia wants to stop Kyiv joining NATO and accuses the West of hysteria, saying it has no plans to invade, while the United States and allies are adamant the military build-up is continuing.
Warning sirens blared in the breakaway regions of Donetsk and Luhansk on Friday after rebel leaders there announced the evacuation of hundreds of thousands of people to Russia.
"We have reason to believe the Russian forces are planning to and intend to attack Ukraine in the coming week, in the coming days," Biden told reporters at the White House. "As of this moment I am convinced that he has made the decision."
Late on Friday, Ukraine's military intelligence said Russian special forces had planted explosives at social infrastructure facilities in Donetsk, and it urged residents to stay at home. The Russian Federal Security Service did not immediately reply to a request for comment. Read more here
Good morning and welcome to Moneycontrol's LIVE coverage of the Russia-Ukraine conflict. Stay tuned for the latest news, developments and analysis through the day
