Poland and Lithuania have joined Ukraine to urge stronger Western sanctions against Moscow amid a Russian troops buildup near the Ukrainian border that fueled fears of an invasion.

MOSCOW – Contacts have begun between Russia and the United States on the issue of security guarantees demanded by the former and there is a possibility that the sides will reach an understanding, the RIA news agency quoted on Tuesday a Russian diplomat as saying.

Greece says it will renew a request for European Union funds in 2022 to extend a border wall along its frontier with Turkey and promised to expand a powerful surveillance network aimed at stopping migrants entering the country illegally.

WARSAW – Poland’s parliament passed a media bill on Friday that detractors say aims to silence a news channel critical of the government, in an unexpected move that will stoke concern over media freedom and reopen a diplomatic dispute with the United States.

China has said it will take unspecified “necessary measures” to safeguard its institutions and enterprises after the U.S. Senate passed a new law barring imports from the Xinjiang region unless businesses can prove they were made without forced labor.

Justin Trudeau laid out the federal government’s priorities in a mandate letter written to immigration minister on Dec 16.

Russia has published draft security demands that NATO deny membership to Ukraine and other former Soviet countries and roll back the alliance’s military deployments in Central and Eastern Europe.

Japan has reported its exports jumped 20% and imports rose at an even faster pace in November as disruptions to manufacturing supply chains eased.

France will restrict arrivals from Britain because of fast-spreading cases of the omicron virus variant.

European Union leaders are holding a summit focused on preventing a Russian military invasion of neighboring Ukraine.