Russian, Ukrainian advisers to meet over tensions: Live news

Four-way talks, which include France and Germany, resume for the first time since 2019 as fears of war escalate.Russian and Ukrainian political advisers are meeting for the first time since the crisis over their borders began.Wednesday’s four-way talks in Paris, which will also be attended by France and Germany, began at noon (11:00 GMT).The meeting marks a revival of the group’s so-called Normandy Format talks, last held in 2019.It comes as the West, led by the United States, is threatening to impose sweeping sanctions on Russia – including personal sanctions on President Vladimir Putin – should it attack Ukraine.Russia, which has amassed thousands of troops at the Ukraine border, denies it is making plans to attack its neighbour and blames NATO for undermining the region’s security.Here are all the latest updates:41 mins ago (11:16 GMT)While fears rise over a potential new Russian incursion into Ukraine, swaths of territory in the latter’s east are already beset by conflict.In the following podcast, Al Jazeera correspondent Charles Stratford travels to the Donbas to document the impact of war, and the threat of yet more conflict, on the people there.49 mins ago (11:09 GMT)European Union leaders remain divided over how to respond to Moscow as the Russia-Ukraine crisis continues to deepen.For an in-depth analysis of why that is the case and what the lack of unity means for the bloc’s role in the unfolding situation, read more here.59 mins ago (10:59 GMT)The Russia-Ukraine standoff has been marked by dizzying developments and pinball rhetoric between Moscow and the West.