The Russian presidency issued a statement today (Monday) stating that a Ukrainian statement withdrawing Kiev's application to join NATO would "significantly reduce" Russian fears and help ease tensions on the Ukrainian border.
This is the first indication of a possible diplomatic solution to the crisis that threatened to become one of the greatest wars the continent of Europe has seen in recent decades.
The remarks come after Kiev Ambassador to London Vadim Priestyko said Ukraine was considering the possibility of withdrawing its membership application as a "last resort to prevent war".
Despite the apparent diplomatic window, the region continues to prepare for the possibility of Russian military action in the territory of Ukraine.
Poland and Lithuania announced today that they would accept refugees from Ukraine in the event of a Russian invasion of the country and that they were preparing to treat thousands of displaced persons, Ukrainian National Radio reported this morning.
Polish Interior Minister Matthias Kaminski yesterday referred to the possibility of an influx of refugees from Poland and said: "Regarding Ukraine, we are examining several possible scenarios, in which a situation where thousands of refugees arrive in our territory."
Meanwhile, in the capital Kiev registered a large load of offices for issuing and renewing passports, with thousands planning to leave the country in the coming days.
At the same time, the Ukrainian army continues to prepare for a Russian attack.
Awakening was recorded this morning at an air defense base located north of the capital, Kiev, where batteries of an S-300 missile system were deployed.
"These are systems that are manufactured in Ukraine, in a factory of the rocket industry in the city of Dnipro. Like Israel, we also understand that we should only rely on ourselves," explains a local source, "Israel Today".
Ukraine fears an air strike combined with ballistic missile fire as a first step in a Russian invasion and estimates that the first sites to be attacked are air defense systems, consisting of numerous anti-aircraft missile batteries as well as Stinger launchers recently handed over to the Ukrainian army.
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