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Russia on Sunday rescinded earlier pledges to pull tens of thousands of its troops back from Ukraine’s northern border, a move that U.S. leaders said put Russia another step closer to what they said was the planned invasion of Ukraine. Residents of Ukraine’s capital filled a gold-domed cathedral to pray for peace, Associated Press reported.

Russia’s action extends what it said were military exercises, originally set to end Sunday, that brought an estimated 30,000 Russian forces to Belarus, Ukraine’s neighbor to the north. They are among at least 150,000 Russian troops now deployed outside Ukraine’s borders, along with tanks, warplanes, artillery and other war materiel.

The continued deployment of the Russian forces in Belarus raised concern that they could be used to sweep down on the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, a city of about 3 million people less than a three-hour drive away.

In Kyiv, life outwardly continued as usual for many on a mild winter Sunday, with brunches and church services, ahead of what U.S. President Joe Biden said late last week was an already decided-upon Russian attack. 

Katerina Spanchak, who fled a region of eastern Ukraine when it was taken over by Russian-allied separatists, was among worshippers crowded into the capital’s St. Michael’s monastery, smoky with the candles burned by the faithful, to pray that Ukraine be spared. 

“We all love life, and we are all united by our love of life,” Spanchak said, pausing to compose herself. “We should appreciate it every day. That’s why I think everything will be fine.”

“Our joint prayers will help to elude this tragedy, which is advancing,” said another worshipper, who identified himself only by his first name, Oleh.

A U.S. official said Sunday that Biden’s assertion that Putin has made the decision to roll Russian forces into Ukraine was based on intelligence that Russian front-line commanders have been given orders to begin final preparations for an attack. The official spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe the sensitive intelligence.

The United States and many European countries have charged for weeks that Putin has built up the forces he needs to invade Ukraine — a westward-looking democracy that has sought to move out of Russia’s orbit — and is now trying to create pretexts to invade. 

Western nations have threatened massive sanctions if Putin does. 

U.S. officials on Sunday defended their decision to hold off on their planned financial punishments of Russia ahead of any invasion, after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called passionately Saturday for the West to do more.

“If you pull the trigger on that deterrent, well then, it doesn’t exist anymore as a deterrent,” Pentagon spokesman John Kirby told Fox on Washington’s sanctions threat.

CPN (Maoist Centre) Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal said that they will stand against the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) in the Parliament.

Soon after tabling the MCC in the Parliament, Chairman Dahal took to the Twitter and said that the party and Parliamentary Party will stand against the MCC.

"The government tabled the MCC amid protest. Our party and Parliamentary Party will stand against the MCC in the Parliament," Dahal said.

He also condemned the government action against protesters in New Baneshwor.

Nepal has always been pursuing an independent, balanced and non-aligned foreign policy.

In pursuant to this policy, as a sovereign country, Nepal has accepted and utilized development assistance as per the national requirement and priority, read a statement issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in response to the media queries about the views appeared in various media on the Millennium Challenge Compact assistance to Nepal

Development assistance has played an important role in the building of infrastructures and development in Nepal.

The Government of Nepal remains grateful to our neighbors and those friends with whom Nepal has traditionally been enjoying strong partnership and cooperation as well as regional and multilateral development partners including the United Nations for their continued support to the socio-economic development of Nepal, the statement further read.

Nepal takes the decision to accept development assistance in terms of the country’s national interest and priority.

The sovereign parliament of Nepal alone decides what development assistance is needed in the best interest of Nepal and Nepali, the Ministry said.

The government tabled Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) in the Parliament on Sunday, 32 months after it was registered in the Parliament Secretariat. 

Minister for Communications and Information Technology Gyandendra Bahadur Karki  on behalf of Minister for Finance Janardan Sharma tabled the $500 million compact in the Parliament this afternoon. 

Signed in September 2017, the MCC compact was registered in the Parliament in July 2019.

The next meeting of the Parliament has been scheduled for 1 pm on Thursday.