Military tensions between Russia and Ukraine: U.S. President Joe Biden spoke last night (Thursday) with Ukrainian President Vladimir Zalansky, estimating that Russia would eventually invade his country.
In a conversation that took place in the shadow of the escalation, the Ukrainian president reiterated his position that the Russian threat remained “dangerous but vague” and that he was not sure an attack would take place. National Security Council spokeswoman Emily Horn said President Biden had publicly and for many months warned of a Russian invasion, and that “any other report is absolutely false.”
A statement from the White House said: “The leaders have discussed diplomatic and coordinated efforts on security issues in Europe, with an emphasis on Ukraine’s security.” Biden confirmed in a conversation with Zalansky that the United States “will respond resolutely if Russia invades Ukraine and help the Ukrainian economy,” after the United States provided Ukraine with more than half a billion dollars in development and humanitarian aid in the past year and is considering further aid.
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Russian Army in Rostov (Photo: REUTERS / Sergey Pivovarov)Meanwhile, the Ukrainian president called for calm, saying that diplomatic talks with Russia had reached a breakthrough, and hoped that the ceasefire agreement in the east of the country would be maintained. On the other hand, the White House believes that Zalansky is trying to balance the parties, “on the one hand he wants assistance, but his people should be assured that he has control over the situation, this is a complicated area.”
While diplomatic talks continue, Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said thousands of U.S. troops were on high alert in case they were sent to Eastern Europe, stressing that no decision had been made at this stage. At the same time, a third shipment of American weapons arrived in Kiev. The shipment includes anti-tank missiles, although the Ukrainians said they preferred anti-aircraft defense systems.
As mentioned, last Tuesday US President Joe Biden held a video call with European leaders, expressing concern about Russia’s actions and support for Ukraine’s sovereignty. The talks discussed diplomatic efforts on the side of the willingness to impose severe sanctions on Russia if it did invade Ukraine, as well as the military strengthening of NATO countries in Eastern Europe. The talks were attended by the leaders of the United States, France, Germany, Britain, Italy and Poland, as well as the heads of NATO and the European Union.
French President Emmanuel Macron, for his part, noted that on the side of military deterrence, there is a need to prioritize talks to reduce escalation with Russia. Today a meeting will be held in Paris at the “Normandy Forum” of senior officials from Russia and Ukraine – for the first time in a long time at the same table – as well as of officials from France and Germany. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has warned that Ukraine “is not the only country Putin is staring at.”