The United States and its allies threatened Russia - today, Saturday - with severe sanctions if it invaded Ukraine, and while the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) (NATO) announced its readiness to strengthen its forces in eastern Europe, Kiev confirmed its desire to solve the current crisis through diplomatic means.
In a speech today, Saturday, at the Munich Security Conference in Germany, US Vice President Kamala Harris said that her country and its allies would impose severe economic sanctions on Russia if it attacked its western neighbor, and she had just posted a tweet on Twitter in which she described the unprecedented potential sanctions.
She added that confronting the Russian escalation will not be limited to economic sanctions, and added that NATO will strengthen the eastern front of Europe militarily, noting that the reinforcements will not be for the war inside Ukraine, but for the defense of the eastern borders of the NATO countries.
The US Vice President also said that clear proposals for dialogue on the Ukrainian crisis were presented.
US President Joe Biden vowed Russia -oms Friday and harsh sanctions, while the White House said that these sanctions will make Russia a pariah state, and deny them access to the international financial system.
Johnson said he would not be allowed Russia to blackmail Europe (Reuters)
Sanctions ready
Concurrently, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said - during the Munich Conference - that what he described as strict sanctions against Russian individuals and entities are ready in the face of any possible Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Johnson added that we will not allow Russia to blackmail Europe or threaten its security again, calling for providing alternatives to Russian gas and preparing for all scenarios.
For her part, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said in her intervention at the conference - which Russia was absent - that the European Union and its allies in NATO had prepared an expensive sanctions package if Russia invaded Ukraine, noting that the Europeans have options that allow them to obtain energy. from alternative sources.
And von der Leyen considered that the world is facing an attempt to rewrite the rules of the world order led by Russia and China.
The Secretary General of NATO (left) with the German chancellor during the Munich Security Conference (European)
Strengthening the presence of NATO
For his part, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said that the alliance is ready to strengthen its military presence in the eastern wing of the alliance if the need arises.
Stoltenberg added - in a speech during the Munich Security Conference - that the alliance seeks to avoid a military clash, and has submitted written proposals to Moscow regarding the security guarantees it requested.
The Secretary-General of NATO accused Russia of making demands that it knows will not be fulfilled, and demanded that it withdraw its forces from the Ukrainian border, stressing that it is not too late for Russia to retreat from the war and choose the political path.
For his part, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin stressed - during a press conference in Lithuania after talks with leaders of the Baltic states - that his country would stand with its allies in the Baltic states, but he expressed his hope that Russian President Vladimir Putin would back down from the option of war.
For his part, the Lithuanian president called for strengthening the security of the Baltic states with US forces.
He said that the Russian military reinforcements on the eastern borders of NATO are changing the security situation.
The United States and other Western countries had already recently sent military reinforcements to Central and Eastern Europe, in parallel with providing Ukraine with advanced weapons.
Diplomacy option
Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said - after meeting the British Prime Minister on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference - that his country is not responding to (Russian) provocations, and wants to resolve the crisis through diplomatic means.
He added that he and Johnson agreed to take further joint steps.
The presidency said the British minister said Johnson assured the Ukrainian president's commitment to London's long-term in the face of what he called the continued Russian aggression.
For his part, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said - after meeting his American counterpart Anthony Blinken in Munich - that Washington stands firmly by Ukraine, adding that Kiev is ready for any scenario.
The Ukrainian minister valued the United States' participation in Ukraine with data and assessments regarding what he described as Russia's aggressive plans, in reference to the intelligence information provided by Washington to the Ukrainian side.
Diplomatically also, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz stressed that the escalation can only be stopped through diplomatic efforts, noting that it cannot be expected to see progress in the results of diplomatic efforts overnight.
China and Russia
In the context of international positions, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said - today, Saturday - that the Ukrainian crisis needs a comprehensive road map in order to reach a fundamental solution that takes into account everyone's concerns.
Wang added that Ukraine should be a bridge between East and West, and Russia's concerns should be taken into account.
The Chinese minister called for stopping the atmosphere of the Cold War, and said that the world is now facing the danger of division and confrontation, calling for the establishment of security in a multipolar world.
In Moscow, Russian Foreign Ministry said that Minister Sergei Lavrov assured his French counterpart Jean-Yves Odrian the lack of progress in resolving the crisis because of Kiev's desire to implement the Minsk agreement aimed at ending the ongoing conflict since 2014 in the Donbass region (eastern Ukraine) between Ukrainian troops and separatists loyal to Russia .