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Nepali Congress has made it clear that the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) was not tabled under the pressure of any countries.

Speaking at a press conference organised on Monday, party spokesperson Prakash Sharan Mahat said that Nepal is capable of taking decisions about herself.

"We have not tabled the MCC under anyone's pressure," he said.

Leader Mahat said that the party will not the take the decision under anyone's pressure. 

"No one has piled pressure on us. We have not felt the pressure. We will take the decision on our own. We will not take decisions under anyone's pressure," he said.

France says Russian President Vladimir Putin has agreed on the need to "prioritise a diplomatic solution" to the crisis over Ukraine and secure a ceasefire in the east of the country, BBC reported.

In a phone call with President Emmanuel Macron, Mr Putin also agreed that foreign ministers from both countries would meet "in the coming days".

Western nations believe Russia is ready to invade Ukraine, which Moscow denies. 

Meanwhile, Ukraine says talk of an imminent invasion is "inappropriate".

President Macron's call on Sunday was the latest effort to prevent military action by Russia, which has amassed tens of thousands of troops on Ukraine's borders. 

It came amid increased clashes between Ukrainian forces and Russian-backed rebels in Ukraine's eastern Donbas region.

Hours later, the French presidency said a second phone call between Mr Macron and Mr Putin took place, following a conversation between Mr Macron and US President Joe Biden.

Mr Macron proposed a summit between Mr Biden and Mr Putin, the statement said, and both leaders had accepted "the principle" of such a meeting, to be held on the condition that Russia does not invade Ukraine. 

Details would be discussed during a meeting between US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and the Russian Foreign Minister, Sergei Lavrov, on Thursday.

Russia on Sunday rescinded earlier pledges to pull tens of thousands of its troops back from Ukraine’s northern border, a move that U.S. leaders said put Russia another step closer to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.