Ukraine crisis updates: What to know as tensions rise

By VANESSA GERA
Associated Press

WARSAW, Poland (AP) — The United States and NATO have made no concessions to the main Russian demands to resolve the crisis over Ukraine. Those include giving Moscow a guarantee that its neighbor can never join the Western alliance. The focus is now on how Russia will respond. It’s a decision that rests squarely with President Vladimir Putin and one that could determine whether Europe will again be plunged into war. In early reactions, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the U.S and NATO responses leave “little ground for optimism.” Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said that Kyiv saw the U.S. response before it was delivered Wednesday to Russia, and that it had no objections.