Putin Declares a Nuclear Alert, and Biden Seeks De-escalation  —  When the Russian leader ordered his nuclear forces into “special combat readiness,” the U.S. could have gone on high alert.  Instead, the administration tried not to inflame him.  —  WASHINGTON — When Vladimir V. Putin declared Sunday …

POLITICO Playbook: A presidency transformed  —  DRIVING THE DAY  —  DAY FIVE — The latest on the ground in Ukraine, via the NYT's blog-style running updates: “With a three-mile-long convoy of Russian military vehicles pressing down on Kyiv, a Ukrainian delegation arrived at the border …

Belarus preparing to join Russian invasion of Ukraine, U.S. official says … Belarus is preparing to send soldiers into Ukraine in support of the Russian invasion in a deployment that could begin as soon as Monday, a U.S. administration official said Sunday evening.

Putin Finds Himself Isolated, Out of Touch as Invasion of Ukraine Sputters  —  Russia's leader is peddling an alternative narrative to suit his needs, and his behavior is making his inner circle appear uncomfortable  —  With much of the world moving against him, economic sanctions piling …

Historic sanctions on Russia had roots in emotional appeal from Zelensky … As the leaders of the European Union gathered for an emergency summit on Thursday night, momentum was already moving toward imposing tough new sanctions on Russia over its invasion of Ukraine.

Russia's Economy Staggers Under Pressure  —  A Ukrainian delegation arrived at the Belarus border for talks with Russia, but President Volodymyr Zelensky expressed little optimism that they would end the fighting.  Russia showed little sign of de-escalating even as its economy staggered under sanctions, sending the ruble plummeting.

Russian forces appear to shift to siege warfare in Ukraine- U.S. official … Russia, frustrated by early battlefield setbacks in Ukraine, could be shifting its strategy to siege warfare just as President Vladimir Putin raises the risk of a catastrophic miscalculation by putting nuclear forces …

Russia's Ruble, Financial Markets Are Hammered by Sanctions  —  Central bank doubles interest rates to protect the banking system as the ruble plunges  —  Powerful Western sanctions rocked Russia's financial system and triggered a spiral in the ruble, drawing the central bank into an emergency doubling of interest rates.

Humanity has a ‘brief and rapidly closing window’ to avoid a hotter, deadly future, U.N. climate report says … In the hotter and more hellish world humans are creating, parts of the planet could become unbearable in the not-so-distant future, a panel of the world's foremost scientists warned Monday …