The US concocted fake news to exaggerate the "Russian threat theory"
□ Zhang Chunyou, our correspondent in Russia
At present, the war of public opinion has become an important part of the game between the United States and Russia over the Ukraine issue.
Relying on the advantages of public opinion at its disposal, the United States does not hesitate to resort to fake news and other means to exaggerate sensationalist remarks such as "Russia is about to invade Ukraine".
In this regard, even Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky could not sit idly by, saying that "the United States has exaggerated Russia's threat to Ukraine for another purpose."
The United States does not hesitate to sacrifice fake news
It has long been an open secret that the United States has exaggerated the news that "Russia is about to invade Ukraine" through different channels, but even so, the United States does not seem to be satisfied.
On the 4th of this month, Bloomberg released a news that shocked the world on its official website-"Russia Invasion of Ukraine".
Although this sensational news headline was deleted after about half an hour, Bloomberg also issued a statement explaining that it was a pre-prepared headline and was released inadvertently, which is deeply regrettable.
But why prepare such a title in advance?
Was it really "unintentional" by Bloomberg?
Russian media disclosed that both the United States and Europe have recently played up the Russian threat theory.
In addition to the American media, American politicians also concocted similar news in person.
US National Security Adviser Sullivan even publicly declared recently that "Russian President Vladimir Putin will order an attack on Ukraine, possibly tomorrow or in a few weeks."
The US media even stated the specific date of the "aggression" with certainty, saying that the Russian side had set it on February 20 this year.
After Bloomberg and other media released fake news, Russia responded quickly.
Russian President's Press Secretary Peskov said that day, this shows that it is the Western countries that are increasing the tension.
Peskov joked that maybe Russia can use the term "Bloomberg News" to refer to "fake news" when describing false reports in the future.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zakharova said angrily: "In fact, every day this week we are witnessing the ongoing public opinion falsification in Western countries, the purpose of which is to fabricate the 'Russian threat', the so-called 'attack' that Russia is about to launch, The so-called 'plans' implemented by Moscow, etc. I don't even want to repeat this nonsense, you can read it yourself in the Western media."
At present, Russian President Vladimir Putin, down to Russian officials at all levels, have repeatedly reiterated that "Russia has no plans to invade Ukraine", "Russia's mobilization of troops in its own territory is reasonable and legal", and "Russia's military deployment is aimed at coping with NATO's eastward expansion." threaten".
However, the United States and the West have apparently turned a deaf ear to this.
The Russian media criticized the fake news concocted by the United States and the West, saying, "Because you are worried that you will commit a crime, you will commit a crime." What is the logic of this?
This is naked bandit logic.
Knowing the U.S. tricks well
Since January 10, the "security guarantee" negotiations between Russia, the United States and NATO have been staged in turns, but the negotiations have ended without results due to too serious differences.
Not only that, after the negotiation, the United States is even ready to introduce a new sanctions bill against Russia again.
Throughout this negotiation, we can see two characteristics: one is that both NATO and the OSCE basically follow the position of the United States; the other is that Russia and the United States are at different paces, and Russia hopes that the United States will give "Ukraine will never join NATO." The goal is to stop NATO's eastward expansion, and the United States will not deploy weapons that threaten Russia in Ukraine, but the United States not only expressly refuses to this, but also expresses that it will reply in writing to ensure that the United States' position is clearly conveyed.
Vladimir Kozin, Corresponding Academician of the Russian Academy of Military Sciences, analyzed the written replies of the United States and NATO to Russia's "security guarantee" proposal in an article titled "Fundamental Flaws of the US and NATO' Responses" on February 4, And pointed out that there are "three major defects."
Kozin argued that the two documents exposed the United States and NATO's attempts to achieve unilateral military superiority, and they turned a blind eye to Russia's security demands.
On February 1, Putin stated on the Ukraine issue that Ukraine is only a "tool of the United States", and the United States is trying to contain Russia through different methods.
"Drag Russia into some kind of armed dispute, after which the U.S. can impose tough sanctions on Russia with the help of its European allies."
Putin said.
It can be seen that the Russian side knows the tricks of the United States well.
According to official data from the U.S. Department of Defense, in 2021 alone, the U.S. will provide about $450 million in aid to Ukraine.
The U.S. government approved an additional $200 million in additional defensive security assistance to Ukraine in December.
Up to now, this plan has been implemented in batches, and more than 300 tons of military materials have arrived in Ukraine, many of which are advanced offensive weapons.
At the same time, after the end of the military exercise code-named "Neptune Strike-2022", which took place from January 24 to February 4, the United States began to unilaterally send troops to Europe, further escalating tensions.
According to official information from the U.S. Department of Defense, on February 4, the U.S. dispatched about 2,000 troops from Fort Bragg Army Base in North Carolina to Germany and Poland, of which 1,700 were deployed to Poland, while about 1,000 U.S. troops currently stationed in Germany Deployed to Romania.
The U.S. side bluntly stated that although the U.S. military will not directly enter Ukrainian territory, the deployment of troops to Europe this time is aimed at dealing with tensions in the border area between Russia and Ukraine and ensuring that the NATO EU "can acquire a strong defense capability."
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Glushko said that the US decision was a "destructive move" that increased tensions and made the path to a political solution to the Ukraine issue narrower.
Slutsky, chairman of the International Affairs Committee of the Russian State Duma (lower house of parliament), said the U.S. move to send additional troops to Europe is "extremely destructive" to regional stability.
Multi-party mediation to ease the crisis
From the above facts, it is not difficult to see that the United States is the initiator of the Ukraine issue.
Putin made it clear as early as last year that the military support of Ukraine by the United States and other NATO members poses a "real threat" to Russia.
At present, various forces have repeatedly mediated to resolve the Ukraine crisis. On the same day that Putin and French President Emmanuel Macron met in Moscow on the 7th, U.S. President Biden also received visiting German Chancellor Scholz in the United States.
The British "Financial Times" quoted French sources as saying that in view of Macron's visit to Moscow, Russia and France have reached an agreement on not taking new military measures and conducting extensive dialogue on the deployment of Russian troops.
According to the report, the agreement may also include the withdrawal of Russian troops from Belarus after the conclusion of large-scale joint exercises this month, which also brings an opportunity for the parties to hold intensive consultations recently.
However, Peskov denied on the 8th that an agreement was reached on the Ukraine issue when the Russian and French leaders met, emphasizing that under the current circumstances, Russia and France cannot reach any agreement.
Another source said that Macron made a proposal for "neutralization of Ukraine" during his visit to Moscow.
International people are also watching whether this proposal can provide new ideas or directions for the de-escalation or even the final settlement of the conflict.
At present, Russia does not intend to be involved in the Ukraine war, but under the premise that the United States and Europe refuse to provide Russia with "security guarantees", Russia will not remain indifferent.
RIA Novosti reported on the 8th that Putin’s remarks after meeting with Macron said that Russia is firmly opposed to NATO’s eastward expansion, which will pose a threat to Russia. Russia does not want the situation to develop further and lead to a conflict between Russia and NATO. There will be no winners.
Peskov also said that Russia is ready to engage in constructive dialogue with everyone, but Russia has its own bottom line.
As we all know, the bottom line that Peskov did not say is that Ukraine cannot join NATO.
The successful holding of the "Normandy Model" Quartet Talks in Paris on January 26 seems to have "cooled down" the Ukraine crisis, but this is obviously not what the United States wants to see.
To this end, Zelensky "urges Western allies not to create panic".
Following the call with Biden on January 27, Zelensky said again on February 7 that the possibility of resolving the conflict with Russia through diplomatic channels is still far higher than the possibility of war.
The international community also hopes to see that the Russian-Ukrainian crisis can be properly resolved, but it is still unclear how the situation will develop when the US and the West have their own calculations.