Military exercises that were set to end overnight on the Belarus and Russian side of the border with Ukraine will continue this week. They cite the deterioration of the situation in East Ukraine as the reason to keep 30,000 troops in place there. That’s a reference to the escalating violence in the two Ukrainian regions held by pro-Russian rebels where thousands of civilians are being evacuated into Russia, and men aged over 18yo are being mobilised to fight. Some analysts say it means Russia is not prepared to back down in its stand-off with the West. But there is some hope on the diplomatic front… This morning, Russian President Vladimir Putin and French President Emmanuel Macron have agreed to try to secure a ceasefire in Ukraine’s east and hold an urgent summit on the future of Ukraine. Note: those talks would not include the US…