From these documents, a build-up of Russian troops will appear in four places along the Ukrainian border and there are now 50 tactical battalions. “Russian plans anticipate a military attack against Ukraine in early 2022 with a scale of forces twice what we saw last spring during Russian rapid exercises near the Ukrainian border,” an anonymous Biden administration executive said.
He added that “the plans include expanded movements of 100 tactical battalions, with an estimated 175,000 soldiers, in addition to armored vehicles, artillery and other equipment.” However, the US estimates that Moscow currently has 70,000 troops near the border with Ukraine, compared to the roughly 94,000 indicated by Kiev. The warning from American 007 comes on the eve of the upcoming virtual summit between Joe Biden and Vladimir Putin.
US: “Sanctions if Russia invades Ukraine” – The United States could impose economic sanctions and use other tools against Russia if it invades Ukraine: White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki said, speaking about actions to be taken in consultation with allies and the US Congress. Then Joe Biden warned Putin of a possible invasion of Ukraine and threatened to impose unprecedented sanctions on the eve of a new face-to-face meeting next week, this time in a video link after the personal summit in June in Geneva.
Russia: We want guarantees that Ukraine will not join NATO There are many issues on the agenda of the US-Russia summit, from “unsatisfactory” bilateral relations to strategic stability, from Iran to Libya and Afghanistan. But the Ukraine crisis remains on top of everything, with Moscow asking for “legal guarantees” against further NATO expansion to the east, after the collapse of the Soviet Union and the accession of many countries to the Warsaw Bloc: a red line Putin is still walking.
Russia: “The displacement of forces .. our right” – The Kremlin continues to reject accusations and suspicions, claiming its right to move and mobilize forces within the country’s borders. But it is clear to many observers that Putin is playing a game of chess, increasing pressure on Kiev and the West to achieve what he has not yet had: the legally binding guarantee that the alliance will not approach Russia’s borders. Moscow wants to keep the buffer states with Europe. And if Belarus is not under discussion at the moment, the danger remains that Georgia, and especially Ukraine, sooner or later will join NATO. The alliance officially opened the door to Kiev in 2008, and in 2014 a real possibility began to emerge after the pro-Western Maidan uprising and the escape of pro-Russian President Viktor Yanukovych. Putin responded by annexing Crimea. But now Ukraine does not want to abandon this possibility. Kiev Foreign Minister Dmytro emphasized abandoning it “is not an option.”
Coleba.
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