Today, Friday, in the Russian capital, Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu met with his British counterpart Ben Wallace, in an effort to reduce the escalation between the West and Moscow over Ukraine.

At a time when Russian forces are conducting maneuvers in several areas near the border with Ukraine, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken has warned of the possibility of Russia's invasion of Ukraine "at any time."

Shoigu said - during his talks with his British counterpart - that the military-political situation in Europe is becoming increasingly tense, and that the blame does not fall on Russia.

He added during his talks that his country will present its response to the United States and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) regarding security guarantees as soon as possible, calling on Western countries to stop pumping weapons into Ukraine.

Moscow had sent a message to America and NATO explaining the security guarantees it required from the two sides to reduce the escalation in relations between the two sides, most notably Ukraine's non-joining of NATO and the removal of NATO weapons from the Russian borders.

For his part, the British Defense Minister told his Russian counterpart that he hoped to take advantage of today's meeting to resolve a number of outstanding issues through diplomacy, talking about the relations between Moscow and London to zero, and added in a press conference after his meeting with his Russian counterpart that the weapons his country sent to Ukraine are defensive and short. term and does not in any way pose a threat to any country.


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In a related context, Agence France-Presse quoted a German government source today as saying that Chancellor Olaf Schultz, US Presidents Joe Biden and French Emmanuel Macron will hold a remote summit today on the Ukrainian crisis.

The German source added that Italian Prime Ministers Mario Draghi and Britain, Boris Johnson, and the leaders of the European Union and NATO, will join the Biden, Macron and Schultz meeting.

The West accuses Russia of preparing to launch an imminent military attack on Ukraine, which Moscow denies, and criticizes the efforts of Western powers to provoke it and drag it into war.

Biden had asked his citizens in Ukraine to leave, warning of a world war that might break out at any moment, "if the Russians and Americans start shooting at each other."

He added - in an interview with NBC - that he would not send troops to Ukraine to evacuate the Americans if a Russian invasion took place, and denied the existence of any scenario to send American forces to Ukraine.

Blinken Warning

For his part, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said that Russia has sent more troops to its border with Ukraine, and that it may invade its neighbor at any time, including during the current Winter Olympics in Beijing.

Blinken added that Washington continues to "reduce" the number of staff at its embassy in Ukraine, and reiterated the State Department's call for Americans in Ukraine to leave this country immediately.

In a related context, the Dutch Broadcasting Corporation (BNR) today quoted the country's ambassador in Kiev as saying that his government had advised the Dutch in Ukraine to leave it as soon as possible due to the security situation there, and added that the Netherlands would move its diplomatic mission from the capital, Kiev, to Lovio, in the west of the country.

For his part, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg warned of the possibility of an armed conflict in Europe, and said that NATO defense ministers would agree next week to send combat groups to eastern European member states.

Russia and NATO

Russia's response to Stoltenberg's statements was not late, as Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova described them as an attempt to escalate the situation in Ukraine, with the aim of strengthening the alliance's presence near the Russian borders.

Earlier, Russia and Ukraine said they had failed to achieve any breakthrough, a day after talks in Berlin between the parties to the "Normandy formula" to stop the fighting between Ukraine and armed separatists in the east of the country loyal to Moscow.

These parties include Russia and Ukraine, as well as France and Germany.

The Russian Foreign Ministry said that NATO's warning of the possibility of an armed conflict in Europe is an attempt to escalate the situation in Ukraine, with the aim of strengthening the alliance's presence near the Russian border.

Following the talks, Russian envoy Dmitry Kozak said it was not possible to reconcile his country's differing interpretations of Ukraine's 2015 deal aimed at ending the fighting between pro-Moscow separatists and Ukrainian government forces.

On the other hand, Ukraine's envoy Andrei Yermak said that there was no breakthrough, but the two sides agreed to continue talks.

The Berlin meeting is the second after a similar meeting that was held in Paris two weeks ago.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has confirmed the continuation of talks on the Ukrainian crisis with European partners and with the Americans in public and behind closed doors, and said that he expects to receive a phone call from his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron after the latter ends his consultations with Western countries.

At a time, German Foreign Minister Annalina Bieruk said today that there is no sign of de-escalation between Ukraine and Russia, and added - during a press conference with her Jordanian counterpart Ayman Safadi in Amman - that Moscow increased its military presence on the border with Ukraine yesterday by 20 thousand soldiers.

Field Developments

Today, the Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement that 400 soldiers will participate in a "tactical exercise" in the southern Rostov region on the border with Ukraine, adding that about 70 military vehicles, including tanks and drones, will be used in maneuvers that include training for "combat missions."

Yesterday, the ministry had said that exercises of the rapid deterrence forces from Russia and Belarus were launched under the name "Union Will 2022" in Belarusian territory.

📸 🛸 With the era of the internet and open sources, clear and accurate satellite images are being distributed and published on an almost daily basis in the midst of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine and the military buildup on the borders, popular control in which everyone participates.

Photo from Maxer Corporation for a Russian-Belarusian military buildup in


#Belarus 🇷🇺🆚🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/UpN8ZJ9Xjz

— Salah (@mafihachk) February 7, 2022

For its part, the Belarusian Ministry of Defense confirmed that the exercises - which will last 10 days - are of a defensive nature and do not pose a threat to the European community or neighboring countries.

In a related context, the correspondent of the American news website BuzzFeed published a number of satellite images taken during the past 24 hours, which he said show the continuous Russian military reinforcements in the Crimea and Belarus.

He added - in a tweet - that these images reveal the new and wide spread operations throughout the region.

In the opposite camp, Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov announced the start of military exercises throughout the country.

He added that they will be conducted in areas corresponding to the maneuvers that Russia is conducting on its borders, especially those that were launched yesterday on the territory of Belarus.