Can NATO strike the right balance of force and diplomatic fortitude to make the Kremlin back off? Aboard the British aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth, Teri Schultz tees up a key meeting of foreign ministers in Riga.

NATO said there would be "consequences" for Russia if it launches an invasion of Ukraine. Russia, meanwhile, warned the West to stear clear of Moscow's "red lines."

Would Russia really invade Ukraine? Joe Biden and Vladimir Putin are speaking by video link after more than a month of escalation in eastern Ukraine and across the Russian border, where a troop build-up has got NATO allies warning of red lines and harsh sanctions if those troops cross over. We debrief the virtual summit and Washington's threat to send more troops to Eastern Europe in case of attack.

Would Russia really invade Ukraine? Joe Biden and Vladimir Putin are speaking by video link after more than a month of escalation in eastern Ukraine and across the Russian border, where a troop build-up has got NATO allies warning of red lines and harsh sanctions if those troops cross over. We debrief the virtual summit and Washington's threat to send more troops to Eastern Europe in case of attack.

With days to go until Christmas, Santa might be somewhere out there worrying about how to deliver all the presents with his team of reindeer... meanwhile, just north of the Arctic circle, real reindeers herders are struggling with much bigger problems: climate change threatens their very livelihood.

Putin: 'There were five waves of NATO expansion

Russia is bringing its security demands to talks with NATO. Moscow wants written guarantees that there will be no further eastward expansion of NATO and that Ukraine will never join the Western military alliance. Russia's stance has a long history, as DW's Emily Sherwin reports.

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg told DW that the military alliance was committed to its "dual track" approach to Russia and would continue both pursuing dialogue and preparing for a confrontation.

The West still doesn't know why war in Ukraine might happen, but it increasingly seems like it's happening. Kiev is trying to keep calm and rally support while being surrounded on three sides and being the recent victim of a cyberattack that feels like a dry run. Meanwhile, NATO countries are sending weapons and advisors while deploying fresh troops elsewhere in Eastern Europe. But that's small compared to the 100,000-plus forces amassed by Moscow.

With concern still high over a potential war between Russia and Ukraine, NATO's deputy secretary general spoke to FRANCE 24. Mircea Geoana told our Europe editor Catherine Nicholson: "NATO will not get involved militarily in Ukraine – we support Ukraine in many other ways, individual allies support Ukraine. And in order to deter Russia from doing that ... is to really demonstrate to the leadership in the Kremlin that in a cost-benefit analysis, an additional military intervention in Ukraine is a net loss for Russia."

Ukraine's right to join NATO cannot be traded away - UK PM Johnson

Diplomacy continues in a bid to resolve the Ukraine crisis. This Monday, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz went to Kiev to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenksy. This as a ring of Russian troops tightens around Ukraine.