The United States on Thursday has released a statement that Russia is on the verge of unleashing a massive military attack against Ukraine while dismissing Moscow’s claim to pulling back forces as artillery fire hit a Ukrainian kindergarten.
Earlier, during a speech at the United Nations in New York, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has mentioned that, as per the intelligence sources, Moscow could order an assault on its neighbour in the coming days.
As the United States and allies, including other Western governments, claim that they see no evidence to support Russia’s claims to be withdrawing, Blinken raised a challenge to Kremlin to make an ‘announcement today with no qualification, equivocation or deflection that Russia will not invade into Ukraine. State it clearly, State it plainly to the world.”
Blinken added that, “Demonstrate it by sending your troops, your tanks, your planes, back into their barracks and hangers and sending your diplomats to the negotiating table,” he said.
Russia denies any invasion plans but warns of “military-technical measures” if its far-reaching demand for a US and NATO pullback from eastern Europe are not satisfied.
Meanwhile, President Joe Biden, at the White House, blamed Moscow for preparing a “false flag operation” as a pretext for an attack and said this could happen in the coming few days.”
Biden added, “They have not moved any of their troops out. They have moved more troops in. Every indication we have is that they are prepared to go into Ukraine.”
He further added that diplomacy is not dead. “There is a path. There is way through this,” he added.
Meanwhile, Russia has deployed air, land & sea forces around Ukraine. President Vladimir Putin & officials say they do not plan to invade into Ukraine, and the troops are only there to conduct military exercises.
However, Putin has made it clear that the amount for removing any threat would be Ukraine agreeing on never to join NATO and for the Western alliance to revoke from a swath of eastern region of Europe, effectively splitting the continent into Cold War-style spheres of influence.
Ukraine is far from agreeing to join NATO but has set this as part of a broader goal to integrate with the democracies of western Europe, making a historic break from Russia’s orbit.