Ukrainian crisis: the imminent Russian invasion, according to Washington, despite Moscow's denials
Joint military exercises between Belarus and Russia near Brest (Belarus), February 16, 2022. © Russian Defense Ministry/AFP
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The risk of an invasion of Ukraine by Russia is “
very high
” declared US President Joe Biden on Thursday February 17.
Russia denies, but threatens "
to react
" to an American rejection of its security demands.
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An attack is possible "
in the coming days
", wanted to alert the American president in front of journalists before leaving the White House for a trip of a few hours to Ohio.
Joe Biden said he had "
not planned
" to call his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin.
“
All the indications we have is that they are ready to enter Ukraine, to attack Ukraine
,” he added.
So far, the president had repeatedly warned against the risk of an invasion, but he felt that Vladimir Putin had not made up his mind.
Washington has very clearly increased the level of alert for a few hours and ensures that Russia, far from having withdrawn troops from the Ukrainian border as it promised, has on the contrary continued to strengthen its system.
The Americans also warn against mounting pretext operations by Moscow, which could be used as justification for an invasion.
For its part, Russia reaffirmed Thursday not considering any invasion of Ukraine despite the deployment of more than 100,000 Russian soldiers on the Ukrainian borders, which makes Westerners fear an imminent military operation against Kiev.
Moscow will be “
forced to react
” to a US rejection of its security demands
"
No
'Russian invasion'
of Ukraine, announced since last fall by US officials and their allies, is taking place and is not planned
," the Russian Foreign Ministry said in its response to American proposals for talks on European security.
However, Moscow threatened at the same time to react, including militarily, in the event of rejection by the United States of its main security demands.
The Russian government repeats that it wants American forces to withdraw from Central and Eastern Europe and the Baltic States.
"
In the absence of a willingness on the part of the American side to agree on firm legal guarantees for our security, [...] Russia will be forced to react, in particular by implementing measures of a military and technical nature
" , wrote the Russian Foreign Ministry in its response to US proposals for talks on European security.
►Also read: Analysis - Ukrainian crisis: "winning the war before the war", the Russian strategy
For NATO, Russia is looking for a pretext for the invasion
Gathered on Thursday, thirty NATO defense ministers separated after meeting their Georgian and Ukrainian counterparts.
According to them, these two countries are equally threatened by Russia.
For NATO, Russia is doing nothing but blowing hot and cold,
sending contradictory signals
about its intentions towards Ukraine.
NATO countries agree that Russia is preparing pretexts to trigger a possible conflict.
The Allies keep their door open to Ukrainian membership.
They claim that if the Kremlin sought to divide them, the opposite result has occurred, reports our correspondent in Brussels,
Pierre Benazet
.
According to Alliance Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, Russia has the manpower to launch a full-scale invasion overnight.
The fact of showing images of armored vehicles on trains does not prove that there is a withdrawal.
An analysis supported by US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin: "
We see them still adding to the more than 150,000
men they already have, we see troops approaching the border, we see fighter planes arriving and support, we see them raising the level of readiness in the Black Sea, we even see them amassing blood bags.
I was in the military myself not long ago and I know from experience that you don't do this kind of thing when you're about to pack your bag and go home.
»
NATO is calling on Russia for “
real, tangible, significant de-escalation
” around Ukraine, Belarus, Crimea and the Black Sea.
Ukraine does not want allied foreign troops on its soil
Ukraine "does
not need
" allied foreign soldiers on its territory to face Russia, which has deployed more than 100,000 troops on its borders, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Thursday.
“
We don't need soldiers with a foreign flag on our territory.
We are not asking for this, otherwise the whole world would be destabilized
,” he said in an interview with the RBK-Ukraïna site.
"
But we want everything else
," he added, a reference to the military and financial aid received by Ukraine from its Western allies.
For the Ukrainian president, the presence of foreign troops would give the Russians a pretext to “
defend themselves
”.
►Also listen: Decryption - Ukraine/Russia: on the hybrid war front
“No alternative to diplomacy”, according to the UN
For her part, the UN Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs, Rosemary DiCarlo, on Thursday called on the parties to the crisis around Ukraine "
to show maximum restraint at this sensitive time
", at the opening of a meeting of the Security Council.
"
There is no alternative to diplomacy
", hammered Rosemary DiCarlo, noting that "
the current situation was extremely dangerous
".
"
The sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of Ukraine within its internationally recognized borders must be respected in accordance with the relevant resolutions of the General Assembly
" of the United Nations, underlined the UN official .
►Also listen: Report - Ukrainian crisis: in Chernihiv, the population remains calm despite the Russian threat
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Ukraine
Russia
United States
Defense
Joe Biden