German chancellor arrives in Ukraine ahead of Russia visit

Monday’s visit comes as Western countries withdraw staff from their embassies in Kyiv, with many of them also urging their citizens to leave immediately.

Meanwhile, US President Joe Biden and Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy have reiterated their commitment to pursuing diplomacy to ease tensions, as the US’s national security adviser warned that Moscow was looking to find a “pretext” for the attack.
Ukraine could drop its bid to join NATO to avoid war with Russia, the country’s ambassador to Britain said, in what would amount to a major concession to Moscow in response to the build-up of Russian troops on its borders.
Ambassador Vadym Prystaiko told the BBC that Ukraine was willing to be “flexible” over its goal to join the Atlantic military alliance, a move Russian President Vladimir Putin has said would be a trigger for war.
“We might – especially being threatened like that, blackmailed by that, and pushed to it,” Prystaiko was quoted as saying.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz landed in Kyiv on Monday before visiting Moscow to try to head off a “very critical” threat of a Russian invasion.
The visit follows that of French President Emmanuel Macron last week, as Russian troops mass on Ukraine’s borders.
“In the event of a military aggression against Ukraine that threatens its territorial integrity and sovereignty, that will lead to tough sanctions that we have carefully prepared and which we can immediately put into force,” Scholz said before his departure.