Europe

NATO has not yet seen any signs of de-escalation on the ground.

"This is a test for the US and the West," a former Israeli defense official says. "Ukraine is a test case that the whole world is watching." Satellite images show increased Russian military activity in Belarus, Crimea, and western Russia, including deployment of helicopters and bombers at forward locations.

Amid US warning that a Russian invasion is imminent, Ambassador Vadym Prystaiko says Kyiv is "willing to be flexible" over its goal to join the Atlantic military alliance.

Military officials say Ukraine has significantly strengthened its armed forces with the help of allies, equipping the army, in particular, with American and British anti-tank systems and Turkish drones. In Washington, US President Joe Biden's National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said an invasion could begin "any day now."

Chief Rabbi of the Netherlands: Request "reeks of antisemitism and is reminiscent of demands Dutch mayors provide information on Jews to German occupiers during the Holocaust."

Following years of wrangling over the issue, the 100-seat Latvian parliament votes 64-21 to approve the Law on the Compensation of Goodwill to the Latvian Jewish Community on the bill's final reading.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson calls Russia's threat over Ukraine Europe's biggest security crisis for decades, but believes Moscow has not yet decided whether to invade the neighborhing country.

Meanwhile, US President Joe Biden sends 2,000 US-based troops to Poland and Germany and shifts 1,000 more from Germany to Romania in a show of the US commitment to NATO’s eastern flank.

"We reject expressions like apartheid or a one-sided focusing of criticism on Israel. That is not helpful to solving the conflict in the Middle East," a spokesperson for the German Foreign Ministry says.