The Wall Street Journal quoted a US official as saying that Washington rules out a repetition of the Afghanistan scenario regarding a possible Russian invasion of Ukraine, while the Russian Foreign Ministry said it hopes that the escalation of the situation in Ukraine will not lead to a stage that calls for a Russian military response, in A time when diplomatic efforts to prevent a war in Ukraine continue.

The American newspaper - quoting US officials and experts - stated that Russia is likely to seize parts of Ukraine, and that the incursion could continue over a long period, and a US official told the newspaper that it was unlikely that the Ukrainian government or the Ukrainian army would fall - as happened in Afghanistan - in the event of a large-scale Russian invasion.

The Wall Street Journal reported that the White House had approved a Pentagon plan that would allow US forces in Poland to assist Americans from Ukraine in the event of a Russian invasion.

And the newspaper went on - quoting US officials - that US forces in Poland will start setting up checkpoints, camps and temporary facilities, in preparation for helping the Americans.

Avoid chaos

The newspaper pointed out that the US administration is trying to avoid the chaos that occurred during the evacuation of Americans from Afghanistan last summer.


The United States and NATO warn that Russia has amassed more than 100,000 troops near the Ukrainian border, and that Russian President Vladimir Putin is seriously considering an imminent attack on Ukraine, which Moscow denies.

In a related context, today, Wednesday, a regiment of US forces stationed in Germany was transferred to Romania, after the Pentagon announced the transfer of 1,700 soldiers to reinforce NATO forces in Eastern Europe, in response to Russian threats.

Britain sent military reinforcements for the Ukrainian army, and today, Wednesday, a shipment of light weapons arrived in Kiev, in the midst of the ongoing tension in the Russian-Ukrainian crisis.

Britain's endeavors

Parallel to Western countries' support for Ukraine militarily, diplomatic efforts to reduce escalation between the West and Moscow continue;

British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss will visit Moscow on Wednesday, the first visit by a British foreign minister in more than 4 years.

Minister Truss said she would convey to Moscow a clear message that any Russian invasion of a sovereign country would have dire consequences, in reference to Ukraine.

Truss added that Russia should have no doubts about the strength of the Western response and the heavy costs, which would include a coordinated package of sanctions.

Today, Wednesday, a high-ranking US delegation - comprising assistant secretaries of state, treasury and trade - began a visit to Europe to coordinate positions on the expected sanctions.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said - today, Wednesday - that his country is responding to imposing sanctions on Moscow "to deter it from continuing to violate international law." The minister explained - in a press conference with his Spanish counterpart Jose Manuel Alparis in the Ukrainian capital, Kiev - that Russia is violating the Minsk Agreement. Aiming for a political settlement of the conflict in eastern Ukraine.

Minister Kuleba added that Russia's issuance of passports to Ukrainian citizens living in the eastern regions of Donetsk and Luhansk is "a clear and flagrant violation of the Minsk agreements."

Russian warning

On the other hand, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said today, Wednesday, that he hopes that the escalation in Ukraine will not reach the point where Moscow is forced to respond militarily.

Russia's Deputy Foreign Minister warned the United States against deploying THAAD missile systems in an area near the Ukrainian border with Russia, and said that this would push matters into a dead end that would be difficult to get out of.

Ryabkov warned Washington against deploying THAAD missile systems in Ukraine, as it pushes matters into a dead end that is difficult to get out of, as he described it. He added that the possibility of deploying US defense systems near the Kharkov region near the Ukrainian-Russian border is "a blackmail and a provocation to Russia."

In a separate statement, the Russian Interfax news agency reported that Alexander Pankin - another Russian deputy foreign minister - said that Moscow wanted to end the tension over Ukraine and Russia's security demands from the West in a diplomatic way.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said - in a press conference today, Wednesday - that the escalation in Ukraine can be reduced by withdrawing military advisers and weapons that were provided to Kiev from the country, and stopping joint exercises of Ukrainian and NATO forces.

In a related context, the Collective Security Treaty Organization said that the NATO build-up near the borders of Russia and Belarus poses a threat to all countries of the organization, and the organization's Secretary-General Stanislav Zass criticized the strengthening of NATO's infrastructure and increasing its activities near the western borders of the organization's countries.

Zass added that these activities not only pose a threat to Russia and Belarus, but also negatively affect the security of the entire organization.