destruction of the nation starts march 4th on d, w. ah, this is d, w. news live from berlin, a russia. i know it says it's withdrawing more troops. the defense minister says drills in the russia controlled crimea, peninsula have ended. it's released this video, which it says, shares and military units leaving crimea to return to their home basis. also of the program, the day of unity president vladimir zalinski and leads ukraine and celebrations. a defiance of suggestions from the west that today could see the start of a russian invasion on the european union's highest court rules at brussels can cut

the funds for member states that disregard democratic standards has major implications for poland and hungary. ah, i'm fil gale. welcome to the program. we begin with the latest developments in the crisis over ukraine and russia said it's begun withdrawing troops from the crimea territory. it attics from ukraine in 2014 russian defense ministry says military drills in the region are over tanks. and so just returning to their basis yesterday, the credit and it was putting back some forces from it's border with you crate western allies have welcome that statement, but say they need to see evidence that it's actually happening well, so ukraine is today celebrating a day of unity call by president vladimir then ski people rated the flag,

got the olympic stadium in capital care, also being carried to fly the flag and buildings into thing, the national anthem from us officials and previously warming today might see the star of a russian invasion. w correspondent, economy is in ukraine's northern city of khaki, near the russian border. welcome nick. so as i said, today's the day that president biden said to expect of russian attack on the ukraine. but in fact, the russian troops is said to be withdrawing from the border and now from the crime in today's the day that basically that was an announcement, the sent diplomat scrambling out of key of experts leaving filling flights. the few or any flights were operational in those past few days, even some of ukraine's riches people doing their best to leave the country as far as possible. and now here we are in how to give 40 kilometers from the russian border. and it is pretty much business as usual,

a normal working day here. i think in terms of the kind of data that was always going to be a very difficult call. we know the person doesn't like doing what's expected of him and i think that was the american strategy to basically spell out what they thought it was going to do in the hope of encouraging him not to do it. that if you believe that, then that has worked as for the troop withdrawals. well, i think, you know, lots of skepticism here in ukraine. there are no international observers on the ground seeing those russian troops because russia, when it has been carrying exercises, has claimed, was exposed to smaller than would require allowing international service. so basically the world's just watching satellite imagery, trying to guess what is actually happening on the ground from russian channels. we've heard that some units that are based, quite close to the border are being drawn back to their normal bases that are still within striking distance. ukraine, the tick and the people them demand pilots brought in from siberia from the far east. they're not moving anywhere. so a sense that yes, this maybe was kind of plastic overtures. all sorts yesterday,

kind of kind of friendship for his visit moscow, but no really wide ranging end to this crisis. right. i did tell us about this, this day of unity has been declared for to day. well, it's an extra holiday will be at one where ukrainians are still expects to work. it was only a drift up bible's im, zalinski ukraine's president a couple of days ago. so most people haven't really had a chance to react. yes, by me of what you can't see it because it's too big. this huge, huge, huge flagpole with an even bigger ukranian flag has just been hoisted in the presence of some officials. school children be encouraged to come to class wearing national costume. am to help him out with the national anthem has been sung in various places, but i don't think it really goes anywhere near near national the national holiday that ukraine has in the summer. this is just an attempt by the government here to try and take the initiative to kind of change the agenda and to give people a sense that they're on top of this because of the biggest fear here and ukraine's the all this talk of invasion is going to cause panic,

we've already seen the exchange rate. we can, we've seen people buying supplies of food in case and some kind of conflict would happen, and that is what you can't government now is worried about in the short term is panic m, the population. we've seen cyber attacks coming from russia yesterday on government ministries. and on banks, ma'am, so it's not as if this pressure is somehow subsiding rushes, basically blockading, ukraine's ports on the black sea. it's exports through exercise in the black sea. so yes, some limited sides of the escalation, but a very nerve ukrainian government here trying to convince this population that it's on top of things that it has support from its western partners. and that there is no reason to panic. in the immediate short term, i found that neck out, it only corresponded nick connelly in khaki as join the r d w chief international their editor, richard to walker for more analysis of the last couple of days. events at welcome richard at 2 sets of troop withdrawals announced now by russia is, is too early to breathe a sigh of relief. yeah,

i think it is phil too early into the comments that we've had from, from western leaders have been very cautious about this. was a lot on the line for the president of the european commission speaking just earlier this morning, saying that nato has seen no evidence so far of these ostensible troop withdrawal. so there'll be a lot of poring over satellite imagery of the next 2448 hours to see whether those withdrawals are really taking place where those troops, if they are on the move where they are, where are they going to? are they going back to places or are they going to move simply to other 4 forward positions where they could still pose a threat? and other developments continue to take place, which are more escalade trees. for instance, the russian parliament yesterday voting to call on a russia to recognize the to break away regions of east and ukraine as independent . that is something that would really add a dramatic new twist to this crisis. cyber attack on the ukrainian institutions,

including the ministry of defense that we've been hearing about, that is not being attributed yet. but of course, all the suspicions are going to be pointing towards moscow. so this is still a very volatile and dangerous situation right now yesterday, or the german chancellor schultz was in moscow meeting where the president putin. so let's find out how that went and then we'll come back to richard. it was his most important trip abroad to date or left. shots arrived in moscow to carry out what he sees as one of his key tasks, building bridges with russia and the bridge is badly needed. as the world remains on high alert over a possible russian invasion of ukraine. well, schoultz made his way to the kremlin. the russian parliament sent a strong signal to the west, which members of the duma asked their president to recognize, to break away regions in eastern ukraine as independent

a move that could kill off what remains of the minsk piece process is difficult. preconditions for shots as crisis talks with vladimir putin, the leaders look for ways to close the gap between russia and the west. speaking afterwards to the media both said they were determined to diffuse tensions on, to be honest, gets mucus. courageous and responsible action is now required from everybody that's finished or sorry to mind. again, i want to say one thing for my generation war in europe has become unthinkable. and we must in sure it stays that way of cover that stuff is hands of state and government. it's our damn responsibility in our job to prevent a military escalation in europe. why to move to it union can usually do we want war or not even though of course not we. that is why we have made proposals to start

the negotiation process. this should lead to an agreement of providing equal security for everybody, including our country. as you grew chair and marshal thermal. so more talks are needed for a diplomatic breakthrough, and yet there are small signs the threat may be subsiding. sir richard walker, a chancellor, shows that the latest in the procession of world, the lead us to the kremlin video achieve anything yesterday. well, i think we should stress it fill. of course, there was no expectation to all of sholtes was simply going to kind of crack this diplomatic puzzle that the, the west finds itself in with russia, this crisis that has been building up over so many weeks. that wasn't the expectation. i think in terms of the expectations that sholtes did have, i think he probably met those in his own mind. he got a crisis across his own message, both in the press conference with vladimir putin and in private with him. in those talks lasting many hours. he demonstrated unity with other western allies,

and he extracted, i think, partly from preaching this message that the russians are keen to keep up dialogue. the big question is, can that dialogue really resolving if the maximum demands that the russians thereafter? big question marks over that one. that's a tool. realistic. thanks about richard richard walker, chief chief, international editor. all right, so all stories are making headlines around the world. now. britain's prince. andrew has reached a financial settlement with his accuser in a sexual assault lawsuit. but you know you for a claim, she was traffic by the prince's late friend, the disgrace financier, epstein when she was 17, and then forced to have sex with the royal court papers, do not reveal the amount of payoff he knows landslides in brazil have killed dozens, of residence in the health of rio de janeiro firefighters rescue workers and still

searching for survivors. authorities in the region have declared a disaster. the former president of orange on durham is in custody after a stand off with police at his home. united states is demanding the expedition off on orlando, had not been accusing here of corruption and drug trafficking. mister hernandez resigned last month after 8 years in office. it denies the charges. it is so the european union's highest courses rule that brussels can cut funds from amber states that disregard democratic standards. the case has major implications for poland and hungary and they, the e. u says both countries are undermining the rule of law in areas such as judicial independence and wants to slash billions of years in recovery funds that they're due to receive. let's get more from the debris, corresponded barbara fazel who's been following the court's decision. she joins us from the european parliament in strasburg. welcome, barbara. so this on the face of this is quite a dry ruling, but this has

a lot of significance for will right now, poland and hungary, or just just talk us through whatsapp. absolutely. so because this has highly political implications, it was expected, but the european commission had to said it would wait out the court's verdict on the legality of this regulation that came into force over year ago at the end of 2020. so they've been waiting, and now the court has says, yes, you can go ahead what's at the back of what's behind this really is a long war long battle between brussels and the governments in hungary, in particular end and poland or both are accused of what they call here, democratic back sliding, sort of fur deregulating their own countries with regard to democratic rules. and at the core of this, in both cases are a corruption, particularly and hungary,

where the accusation is that victor urban has fed his own family and his own cronies was european money and the independence of the judiciary. those are absolutely crucial to safeguard european funds. these huge amounts of money that are being paid particularly now as you've been mentioning, of the recovery fund. and it can and money also that those countries receive on a regular basis as their contribution from brussels at this had been highly contested. and now for the 1st time, brussels has it tool to sanction these 2 countries. okay, so it's, it's all about the, the billions of euros. it's always all about the money. so now that the european court of justice has ruled that brussels can do this, can withdraw this money a will they and is likely to bring about any change in the leaders of poland and hungary that is the 1000000 euro crushed net,

talking about fines that could amount to about 1000000 per day for both countries if they don't step back of from a dismantling the democratic 2 groups that are in question here. and so far, the commission who has to push forward was this, has been stalling. they didn't want to engage into this big political trouble to really take those 2 countries head on and to tell them now we're going to find you and you have to stop this. they were suff, paddling this whole question to the absolute and i to fury of the european parliament who has been demanding again and again that they finally act and that they don't watch what further and on without doing anything about it the the sort of way the 2 countries are taking towards autocracy. will they change? it might enrage the better even further looking to hungry. we've seen a few signs of compromise from more so, but it's not quite clear what they're going to do afterwards. this afternoon that

you commission will have to pronounce here in strasbourg. what their way is going to be, what their path is going to be a we'll be waiting. i'm about barbara. i do w correspondent, barbara, video, and strasburg. that's it. you're up to date. a gout alphas will have a more well news at the top of the out. i'm good with some are driven by merciless greed. others are fighting the destruction. land grabbers are exploiting, beaten amazon rain forest, indigenous peoples upon now bravely opposing them. to report to them the heart of brazil stuart's march 9th on d w ah

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