UK Johnson about Russia and Ukraine || Russia stages drills with Belarus and talks about diplomacy

The exercises - known as Allied Resolve 2022 - are taking place close to the Belarusian border with Ukraine, which is a little over 1,000km (620 miles) long. Thursday was the start of the active phase of the drills. There are fears that if Russia tries to invade Ukraine, the exercises put Russian troops close to the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, making an attack on the city easier. Belarus leader Alexander Lukashenko is a firm ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin and the two countries have created a so-called "Union State" which includes economic and military integration. The Kremlin backed Mr. Lukashenko after a disputed election in 2020 that led to protests in Belarus. The US says some 30,000 Russian troops are expected to take part in the drills with Belarus, although Moscow and Minsk have not disclosed the exact number of participants. The objective of the war games is to practice "repelling external with a defensive operation", according to the Russian defense ministry. Troops will also perform drills to protect the border and block delivery channels for ammunition. Russia insists that it has the right to move its troops freely across its own territory and that of its allies with their agreement. It says the troops in Belarus will return to their bases after the exercises. Russia is also holding naval exercises in the Black Sea and Sea of Azov - both on Ukraine's southern flank - which Kyiv called "an unjustified complication of international shipping", that is making navigation in both seas "virtually impossible". Vladimir Chizhov said Moscow had no intention of invading anybody, but warned it was important not to provoke Russia into changing its mind. It comes after a flurry of diplomatic activity on Monday and Tuesday. Russia has repeatedly denied any plans to invade Ukraine. But with well over 100,000 troops massed near the Ukrainian border, some Western countries including the US have warned that a Russian attack could come at any time. UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson travelled to Brussels and Warsaw on Thursday in support of NATO allies. After meeting NATO's Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg he said he didn't think a decision about a Russian invasion of Ukraine had been made yet, but warned that "this is probably the most serious moment... in what is the biggest security crisis that Europe has faced for decades". Meanwhile the UK's Foreign Secretary Liz Truss met her Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov in Moscow on Thursday. She said Russia should move its troops away from the Ukrainian border if it was serious about using diplomacy to defuse the crisis. Mr. Lavrov said he was disappointed with the talks, accusing Ms. Truss of not listening to Russia's concerns. Further talks aimed at reducing the tensions are expected to take place later on Thursday, and will include Russian and Ukrainian envoys along with France and Germany - known as the Normandy quartet. There is some suggestion that a renewed focus on the so-called Minsk agreements - which sought to end the conflict in eastern Ukraine - could be used as a basis to defuse the current crisis. Ukraine, Russia, France and Germany backed the accords in 2014-2015. #ApniDunyaNetwork #AdnanRahi #Ukraine