The Latest Breaking News from Natia Seskuria

IN DEPTH: Kyiv lies hundreds of miles from the frontline but residents have been forced to adapt to an endless cycle of missile and drone strikes. Ukrainians tell Steffie Banatvala that they would ‘rather die than submit’

In the fiery spat between Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, it was a sentence that went largely unnoticed, but said quite a lot about the closeness the US leader thinks he has with Russia's Vladimir Putin.

In 2008, Moscow sent its military into Georgia to back separatists in two regions. Some analysts say the West's weak response to the invasion emboldened Vladimir Putin to eventually invade Ukraine.

Al Jazeera speaks to analyst Natia Seskuria about the bloc’s dilemma.

The bloc has made it harder and costlier for Russians to enter, but members are divided on an outright travel ban.

Since December, Russia has gradually amassed more than 100,000 troops along its border with Ukraine. Amid stalled talks between the US and Russia, French President Emmanuel Macron is embarking on a solo mission to Moscow and then Kyiv, insisting a diplomatic solution is still possible. For more on what to…