NATO said on Monday it would put forces on standby and reinforce eastern Europe with more ships and warplanes, which Russia denounced as escalating tensions around Ukraine.
Welcoming a series of deployments announced by Allies in recent days, Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said NATO will “continue to take all necessary measures to protect and defend all Allies, including by reinforcing the eastern portion of the Alliance.” “.
The move was another sign the West is preparing for Russia to attack its neighbor after massing an estimated 100,000 troops within range of Ukraine’s border.
Russia denies planning an invasion. But having staged the crisis by encircling Ukraine with forces from the North, East and South, Moscow now cites Western reaction as evidence to back up its narrative that Russia is the target, not the instigator, of the aggression is.
Denmark, Spain, France and the Netherlands all planned or were considering sending troops, planes or ships to Eastern Europe, NATO said. Ukraine borders four NATO countries: Poland, Slovakia, Hungary and Romania.
“The United States has also made clear that it is considering increasing its military presence in the eastern portion of the alliance,” it said.
US officials said the Pentagon is finalizing efforts to identify specific units that could be deployed.
The United States is considering sending thousands of additional troops to NATO’s eastern flank, two US officials told Reuters. One of the officials said up to 5,000 could be deployed.
A NATO diplomat told Reuters that Washington was considering gradually moving some troops stationed in Western Europe to Eastern Europe in the coming weeks. Continue reading
A Polish official said Warsaw will draw a border to send troops to Ukraine, however.
In a sign of concern over the situation, Britain said it was withdrawing some staff and dependents from its embassy in Ukraine, a day after the United States said it had asked diplomats’ family members to leave. US diplomats were allowed to leave voluntarily. Continue reading
“HYSTERIA”
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov accused the West of “hysteria” and spreading information “laced with lies”.
“In terms of concrete actions, we are seeing statements from the North Atlantic Alliance about reinforcements, forces and resources moving to the eastern flank. All of this is causing tensions to rise,” he said.
“This is not happening because of what we, Russia, are doing. This is all happening because of what NATO and the US are doing and because of the information they are disseminating.”
Global stock markets slid as the prospect of a Russian attack stifled demand for riskier assets like bitcoin, supporting the dollar and oil. The ruble hit a 14-month low against the dollar, and Russian stocks and bonds tumbled. Continue reading
Russia has used its troop surge to engage the West in discussions after making calls to redraw Europe’s security map. She wants NATO to never absorb Ukraine and withdraw troops and weapons from post-Cold War ex-communist countries in Eastern Europe.
Washington says these demands are not starting but is ready to discuss other ideas on arms control, missile deployment and confidence-building measures.
Russia is awaiting a written US response this week after talks last Friday, the fourth round of this month, failed to yield a breakthrough.
“PAINFUL, VIOLENT AND BLOODY”
Asked if he believed an invasion was imminent, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson told broadcasters that the intelligence community was “quite grim on this point” but that “sanity can still prevail”.
He reiterated Western warnings that invading Ukraine would be “a painful, violent and bloody affair” for Russia. Continue reading
The United States and the European Union, suspicious of Russia’s intentions since seizing Crimea and helping separatists fight government forces in eastern Ukraine in 2014, have told Russia it faces crippling penalties if it attacks again.
EU foreign ministers meeting in Brussels have warned Russia of “massive” consequences but are divided on how tough it should be on Moscow and didn’t say what the consequences might be. Continue reading
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told EU President Charles Michel by phone that it was important for Kiev that the EU show unity.
“Ukraine will not fall for provocations and will remain calm and reserved together with its partners,” his office said.
The European Commission, the EU’s executive arm, has proposed a €1.2 billion ($1.36 billion) financial aid package to help Ukraine ease the effects of the conflict with Russia. Continue reading
A source for the Russian delegation said political advisers from Russia, Ukraine, France and Germany would meet in Paris on Wednesday to discuss resolving the conflict in eastern Ukraine that has killed about 15,000 people since 2014. Efforts so far have not resulted in a breakthrough.
Several countries, including France, Norway and Latvia, have advised against non-essential travel to Ukraine.
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