AMN/ WEB DESK

French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz have decided to meet in Berlin to seek a common response to Russia as fears rise that Moscow could soon attack Ukraine. Tuesday’s talks in the German capital come a day after Washington put 8,500 troops on heightened alert for possible deployment to Eastern Europe. Other NATO member states also moved to boost their presence in the region. Russia has massed some 100,000 troops within reach of Ukraine’s border, surrounding its neighbour with forces from the north, east, and south.

The Kremlin denies planning an invasion and Moscow cites the Western response as evidence that Russia is the target, not the instigator, of aggression.