In the shadow of the fear of a Russian invasion of Ukraine: U.S. President Joe Biden Tonight (Tuesday) he issued a statement to the media, during which he referred to the great tension prevailing at the border and the feverish efforts being made in an attempt to prevent escalation, but conveyed a firm message to the Russian president Vladimir Putin And clarified that if Russia does invade Ukraine the US and its allies will respond firmly and forcefully.
“The United States is ready for any scenario – ready to respond diplomatically, and ready to respond decisively and decisively to a Russian attack on Ukraine, a possibility that still exists and is tangible,” Biden said. “If Russia invades Ukraine, for no reason or reason, the human price will be enormous.”
In his remarks, Biden stressed: “I call on all American citizens to leave now, before it becomes impossible to leave. That is why we have moved the embassy from Kiev to Lvov. We share what we know.”
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“Last weekend I spoke with Putin with the intention of reaching diplomatic agreements. We agreed that negotiations should continue. Yesterday we continued the talks, we should give them all the opportunities. The United States has put a number of proposals on the table. “There is still room for a diplomatic solution and calm, and we will not stop trying to exhaust the diplomatic solution, which is the preferred way for all parties.”
He added: “We will continue talks with our allies and partners, a strong NATO alliance as it always has been. We will continue to promote diplomacy to resolve the crisis to prevent human suffering. “We have heard from the Russian Foreign Minister about the Russian withdrawal plan but we have not yet seen evidence of it, Russia still has many forces near the borders in Ukraine and Belarus and they are still in offensive positions.”
Biden made it clear that “we do not want to harm the stability of Russia, the citizens of Russia, you are not our enemy. If Russia attacks Ukraine this will have consequences, the world will not forget that Russia has started a war of choice. The US and its allies will respond. It’s bigger than Russia-Ukraine, it’s the principles we believe in and how we want the world to look. If we do not defend freedom today where it is at risk, we will pay a price for it tomorrow. “Countries cannot change their borders by force, and nations have the right and the freedom to choose who they want to join.”
Biden added: “The United States and its allies will impose heavy sanctions on Russia in the event of an invasion. We will apply pressure and sanctions that have not yet been seen in their intensity. These steps are ready in case Russia takes action. “We will block the gas pipeline to Germany and play every inch of NATO territory with all American power.” The United States will defend Ukraine – if you hit it, you hit us. ”
“We are continuing our military exercises with the Allies. If Russia decides to invade, US citizens will understand the consequences of undermining democracy. We are working with Congress on further steps. “I want to be clear – if Russia harms the United States or its allies, we will respond. All options are open, but there will be no doubt, we will respond vigorously to any harm.”
Earlier tonight, White House spokeswoman Jen Pesky said that during his speech Biden is expected to address the current situation on Ukrainian soil, but will not issue new policy statements. “He will talk about the situation on the ground, the steps we have taken, the actions we are prepared to take, what is at stake for the United States and the world and how it may affect us at home,” she said.
At the same time, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken spoke with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov and said the US has ongoing concerns about Russia’s ability to launch an invasion of Ukraine and that it should see “a verifiable, credible and meaningful calm”.
The two spoke on the phone after Russia claimed that some of its troops were returning to their bases after participating in military exercises near Ukraine and President Vladimir Putin said he was “ready to continue the dialogue”.
However, Western countries have not yet confirmed that they have seen a reduction in Russian forces near the Ukrainian border, some 130,000 troops, and NATO secretary general said tonight that there were no signs of calming Russia, despite earlier reports of evacuating Russian forces from the border with Ukraine.
Blinkan added to Lavrov that Washington is committed to seeking a diplomatic solution to the “crisis that Moscow has hastened” and that it expects Russia’s response to the US and NATO on European security documents. “Secretary Blink reiterated our continuing concerns that Russia has the ability to launch an invasion of Ukraine at any moment and stressed the need to see a verifiable, credible and significant escalation,” the U.S. State Department said.
Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov, for his part, stressed the need to continue working together and called for a pragmatic dialogue on security, but told Blinken that “aggressive rhetoric” inflated by Washington is unacceptable.
The Ukrainian army is preparing for the invasion of Russia (Reuters photo)
Earlier today, Russian President Vladimir Putin met with German Chancellor Olaf Schultz as part of a continuation of diplomatic talks to calm the winds of war in Eastern Europe.
At the end of the meeting, Putin said that Moscow was ready to hold talks with the United States and NATO on the deployment of missiles in Europe. Putin further claimed that the US and NATO had rejected Moscow’s demand to keep Ukraine and a number of Baltic states away from NATO, to halt the deployment of weapons near the Russian border and to withdraw NATO forces from Eastern Europe.
The German chancellor agreed that the diplomatic options “have not yet been exhausted” and that the announcement of the withdrawal of forces is a good sign and added that he hopes that more forces will leave the tense areas.
During his remarks, Putin claimed that in the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine, where separatist forces fortified with Russian support, a “genocide” was taking place, a claim the chancellor was quick to dismiss and said was wrong. It is possible that this harsh statement on the part of Putin is an attempt to produce a pretext for invading Ukraine, while sending deceptive messages of calm in the region.