West warns of 'dangerous moment' as Russia holds drills in Belarus

By Robin Emmott, Tom Balmforth, and Vladimir Soldatkin / Reuters

 

BRUSSELS/MOSCOW, Feb 10 (Reuters) - Britain said on Thursday the West could face the "most dangerous moment" in its standoff with Moscow in the next few days, as Russia held military exercises in Belarus and the Black Sea following its troop buildup near Ukraine.

Tensions remained high, with Ukraine also staging war games, but leaders on all sides signalled they hoped diplomacy could still prevail in what British Prime Minister Boris Johnson called Europe's biggest security crisis for decades.

In a new round of diplomacy, Britain's foreign minister held talks in Russia, Johnson visited NATO headquarters in Brussels and officials from Russia, Ukraine, Germany and France were due to meet in Berlin to discuss fighting between government forces and pro-Russia separatists in eastern Ukraine since 2014.

Russia, which has more than 100,000 troops near Ukraine's borders, denies Western accusations that it may be planning to invade its former Soviet neighbour though it says it could take unspecified "military-technical" action unless demands are met.

The Real Reason for Democrats' Flip Flop on COVID Restrictions

Katie Pavlich / Townhall Tipsheet

Suddenly and almost all at once, a number of Democratic governors in blue states announced this week they are ending a number of Wuhan coronavirus pandemic restrictions. 

New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy kicked things off Monday, with California's Gavin Newsom and New York's Kathy Hochul quickly falling in line behind him. 

Why the sudden change? Now we know the answer. 

Focus groups and polling convened by Democrats has them changing their policies. Given Murphy nearly lost his gubernatorial race in the fall to a Republican, he's taking advantage of the turning tide and attempting to save his political future. 

"Arranging a series of focus groups across the state to see what they had missed, Mr. Murphy’s advisers were struck by the findings: Across the board, voters shared frustrations over public health measures, a sense of pessimism about the future and a deep desire to return to some sense of normalcy," the New York Times reports. "Even Democratic voters, they agreed, were wearying...Read more and see tweet here.