According to a Bloomberg source, some EU countries, including France and Germany, believe that imposing penalties too quickly could undermine the diplomatic path to a solution.

Diplomatic approach has done little to stop the Kremlin from sabotaging its allies. It also did not prevent the Kremlin from supporting, according to EU leaders, a "hybrid attack" aimed at moving migrants across Belarus' eastern border.

"Putin denies Russia's involvement in this. But the show of strength can only confirm his view that the West is harming his country and that he must continue to do so", - was wrote by Michael Winfrey, a Bloomberg-based journalist in Central and Eastern Europe.

According to Deutsche Welle, citing the German government, Germany is expelling two Russian diplomats after sentencing an FSS officer who killed a Chechen in Berlin.

"This assassination at the request of the state is a gross violation of German law and the sovereignty of the Federal Republic of Germany", - German Foreign Minister Annalena Berbok said.

It will be recalled that on Thursday NATO allies called on Russia to renounce its military threats against Ukraine and continue diplomatic talks.

 Reiterating a statement by EU leaders also released on Thursday, members of the military alliance warned Moscow that "any further aggression against Ukraine will have huge consequences and will have a huge cost".

Ambassadors to the North Atlantic Council, NATO's governing body, met on December 16 at the alliance's headquarters in Brussels for a briefing by Karen Donfried, US Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs, who has just returned from a trip to Moscow and Kyiv.

Over the past week, Washington has shared with NATO officials intelligence on Russia's large-scale military mobilization along Ukraine's borders and warned of a potential imminent invasion.

The United States has warned that Russia could use real or fabricated allegations of aggression as a pretext for a military strike or invasion.

"We are seriously concerned about the significant and unjustified increase in the Russian army on Ukraine's borders in recent months, and reject Russia's false statements about provocations by Ukraine and NATO. We call on Russia to de-escalate immediately, use diplomatic channels and adhere to its international obligations on the transparency of military activities, "said NATO officials.

Russia still insists it is not responsible for the protracted war in eastern Ukraine. But in the decision of the court in the criminal case of the Rostov region, refer to the evidence that shows the deployment of Russian military units in the occupied territories of Donetsk and Lugansk. Asked about the case, a spokesman for Russian President Vladimir Putin reiterated Russia's long-standing objections and insisted the court was wrong.

Following a video conference between Putin and US President Joe Biden in early December, Russia has made a number of demands, including firm assurances that neither Ukraine nor Georgia will ever join NATO.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has stated that membership issues should not concern Russia.

"We support the right of all countries to decide their own future and foreign policy without outside interference. NATO's relations with Ukraine are a matter only for Ukraine and the 30 NATO member states. We strongly reject any attempt to share Allied security", - was stated by NATO officials.

NATO-Russia relations have deteriorated sharply in recent years. In October, Russia closed its diplomatic mission to NATO, declaring hostility to the alliance. NATO has stripped some Russian diplomats of their powers, saying they actually work as spies.x

On 16 December, NATO said it was ready to resume talks with Moscow at any time.

"We are ready for a meaningful dialogue with Russia", - was informed in the NATO.

They also added that they are ready to duplicate Russia's long-standing invitation to a NATO Council meeting in the near future.