US accuses Russia of planning military action against Ukraine
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in front of the press during the NATO foreign ministers meeting in Riga, Latvia, December 1, 2021. AFP - GINTS IVUSKANS
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5 mins
Sergey Lavrov and Anthony Blinken meet this Thursday, December 2 in Stockholm, Sweden.
At the center of the concerns of the Russian foreign minister and his American counterpart, the situation and the tensions in Ukraine.
This Wednesday in Riga, Antony Blinken declared having "
evidence
"that Moscow is preparing"
aggressive actions
”against Ukrainian territory.
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This is the first time in four years that the Russian and American foreign ministers will meet at the ministerial conference of the OSCE, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe.
And they will talk to each other on the sidelines of the meeting.
But this meeting takes place in an extremely tense climate.
This Wednesday, during the meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Riga, on the eve of his meeting with his Russian counterpart, the American Secretary of State accused Moscow of bringing together "
tens of thousands [of soldiers ] additional combat forces
”near the border with Ukraine.
"
We are deeply concerned about the evidence that Russia is preparing major aggressive actions against Ukraine,
" said Antony Blinken.
These plans include efforts to destabilize Ukraine from within, as well as large-scale military operations.
"
"
So we do not know if President Putin has decided on an invasion,
" continued the head of American diplomacy.
But we know he is making arrangements to do it quickly if he chooses.
So despite the uncertainties over intentions and timing, we need to be prepared for all eventualities while ensuring that Russia backs off.
"
►
See also: Ukraine is worried about the movement of troops on the border with Russia
Washington warns Moscow of sanctions in case of aggression
The United States promises to make Russia pay "
a high price
" if it acts, raising the prospect of painful economic sanctions.
"
We have made it clear to the Kremlin that we will respond resolutely, including with high impact economic measures that we have refrained from using so far,
" warned Antony Blinken.
The US foreign minister insisted that “
diplomacy is the only responsible way to resolve this potential crisis.
The surest route for diplomacy is for Russia and Ukraine to resume dialogue within the framework of the Minsk accords which aim to end the armed conflict in eastern Ukraine
.
"
Western allies in Kiev have been sounding the alarm bells since last month over a further reinforcement of Russian troops on Ukraine's borders and a possible winter invasion.
Moscow, which seized Crimea in 2014 and is accused of supporting separatists fighting Kiev, has denied planning an attack and in return blames NATO for fueling tensions.
►
See also: Speculation around a Russian military mobilization at the gates of Ukraine
Who provokes whom?
To this question, Russia has only one answer repeated over and over all day this Wednesday by all its diplomatic apparatus: it is the West which threatens and which is responsible for the tensions.
Denials-accusations first came from the spokesperson for Russian diplomacy, reports our correspondent in Moscow,
Anissa El Jabri
.
For Maria Zakharova, it is "
the Ukrainian army which is strengthening its military capacities, by bringing heavy equipment and soldiers
" to the east of the country.
125,000 soldiers, she said.
A few hours before his meeting with his American counterpart, Sergey Lavrov, for his part, blasted Wednesday the
"
destructive
" policy of the NATO countries, which "
seek to attract Ukraine into their orbit and to transform it into an anti-country. Russian
”.
Moscow, said the foreign minister, "will
continue to respond to any unfriendly approach
."
Putin wants "concrete agreements"
Finally, it has been 48 hours since in each of his numerous interventions, Vladimir Poutine again and again reminds us of Russia's red lines: no NATO presence at its gates.
"
We are concerned not only by the uncoordinated actions of the international community and its inability to unite to face truly urgent issues, but also by the attitudes of our country's partners,
" said the Russian president.
They are trying to pressure with sanctions and escalate tensions near our borders. Just look at how close NATO's military infrastructure is to the Russian border. It all seems more than serious to us. Russia is taking the military-technical measures relevant in the circumstances.
"
And he continues: “
We have not threatened anyone, and all the accusations made against us in the context of the current situation where attempts to lay the blame on us are irresponsible to say the least.
"
The Russian president is calling for "
concrete agreements
" preventing NATO's expansion towards the East and the deployment of its weapon systems near Russian borders, by proposing to launch negotiations on this subject.
"
In the dialogue with the United States and its allies, we will insist on concrete agreements which exclude any further NATO progress towards the East and in the immediate vicinity of the territory of the Russian Federation
", added Vladimir Putin. .
These words are on the front page of all state media.
Vladimir Poutine, who is proposing talks with the United States on this subject.
Of course, the Ukrainian president's foot calls for a conversation are systematically ignored.
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