"putin"

Delivering an emergency address, Putin said the operation has been launched to demilitarize Ukraine and defend people "suffering persecution and genocide" by the Kiev regime.

Before Putin's announcement, world leaders worked to maintain a united stance and vowed to impose tougher sanctions in the event of a full-fledged invasion.

Guterres opened an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council late Wednesday saying the day was full of rumours and indications that an offensive against Ukraine is imminent.

In a televised address, Putin said the action comes in response to threats coming from Ukraine. He added that Russia doesn't have a goal to occupy Ukraine. Putin said the responsibility for bloodshed lies with the Ukrainian “regime”.

Biden has said it would be an important step if the United States and Russia were able to ultimately find “stability and predictability" in their relationship.

He first became the President of Russia in 1999 and since then, has served three six-year terms as the President.

The 44-year-old Navalny, an anti-corruption investigator who is the best-known critic of President Vladimir Putin, was arrested on January 17 upon returning from Germany.

The two presidents agreed to have their teams work urgently to complete a five-year extension of the New START nuclear weapons treaty that expires next month.

The Russian president was one of the last remaining leaders of major world countries to have held back on congratulating Biden.