US hints at gas deal as aircraft sent to border

Russia is moving attack helicopters and fighter jets towards the Ukrainian border, even as the White House scrambles to defuse a standoff with the Kremlin by blocking calls for sanctions on businesses linked to the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline, intended to funnel Russian gas to Germany.

Talks this week between the United States and Russia on the Ukraine issue remain deadlocked, but in Washington, senior Democrats are trying to defeat a motion by Republicans in Congress to hit Moscow with sanctions. The Biden Administration says such action would only serve to inflame tensions further.

US officials said Russian helicopters and ground-attack fighter jets had been moved to bases closer to Ukraine, in the latest sign of planning for an invasion. Russia has some 100,000 soldiers along the border.

Russian envoys held talks with Nato in Brussels overnight, with Moscow still demanding a pledge that Ukraine never be admitted to the alliance.

Russia has rebuffed calls to withdraw its troops from the border, insisting that they are conducting routine exercises and have no plans to invade.

Ukraine has called Nord Stream 2 a ‘‘geopolitical weapon’’ intended to punish it for its proWestern stance and to drive a wedge between European allies. Other critics say the pipeline will increase Europe’s dependence on Russian gas and allow the Kremlin to exert political influence. The Biden Administration opposed the pipeline, but stepped back from imposing sanctions to avoid a row with Germany.

US officials believe that Russia’s window for an invasion of Ukraine has narrowed, The New York Times reported. A relatively mild winter has delayed the hard winter freeze that would be needed to move heavy weapons, military vehicles and equipment overland before the spring thaw produces a muddy quagmire.