Five Ukrainians were killed today (Monday) on the Russian-Ukrainian border, and fears in Western countries that the assassination was intended to justify Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The Russian army claimed a short time ago that they had killed five Ukrainians – in the border area of Rostov, who were trying to infiltrate Russia through the border, and were trying to carry out sabotage operations against Russia.
In Ukraine, the Russian military denied the allegations, saying it was an infiltration attempt, claiming that it was Pike News and that in doing so Russia was trying to justify an invasion of Ukraine soon.
Western countries have already warned a few days ago that Russia is trying to stage attacks from the Ukrainian side, to justify future invasion, in Kiev further claimed that they do not have any troops at all in the border area of Rostov.
It should be noted that Downing 10 (the official residence of the British Prime Minister) says: “Putin’s plan to invade Ukraine ‘has already begun’.
Russian President Putin said after a meeting with Russia’s Security Council: “Russia has done everything in its power to resolve the disputes peacefully. Despite this, Ukraine has conducted military operations in these territories (separatist territories), the West’s use of Ukraine to strike Russia is dangerous.”
On the chances of Ukraine joining NATO, President Putin said: “It is not acceptable for any country to build its security at the expense of other countries. The ball is now in the US court.
Meanwhile, the head of the separatists in Donetsk, has formally submitted an application to Russian President Putin for recognition of the province he controls, as an independent state within Ukraine. Putin responded by saying, “We need to consider this.”
Tonight (Monday), US President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed to meet for a summit on tensions over Ukraine, mediated by French President Emanuel Macron, who initiated the move. This was first announced by the Elysee Palace, and later the White House approved the move.
The French statement said that the leaders had agreed to a tripartite summit, which would of course only take place if Russia did not invade Ukraine by then. According to the announcement, the meeting will deal with security and strategic stability in Europe.
Preparations for the meeting will begin this week with a meeting between US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. It was also reported that the summit would be expanded later to include other leaders as well.
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“The United States is committed to continuing diplomacy as long as there is no invasion,” White House spokeswoman Jen Saki said, adding, “Currently, Russia appears to be continuing preparations for a large-scale attack on Ukraine very soon. “The United States is ready to respond harshly if Russia chooses war instead.”
It is also reported that next Thursday Biden will participate in an online meeting with the G7 leaders on the issue of tensions between Moscow and Kiev, with in the background the Americans also preparing a list of heavy sanctions against the Russians in case they invade Ukraine. The sanctions include a ban on making transactions for the big banks in Russia, which will severely hurt the Russian economy and the top ten.
Meanwhile the tension on the border is enormous in light of the many exchanges of fire between the Russian separatists and the Ukrainian army and the fact that the Russians have decided to extend the military “exercise” with Belarus, allowing them to leave tens of thousands of troops and military forces on the Ukrainian border.
The American satellite company Maxar announced tonight that according to its satellite images, Russia has deployed more troops and armored equipment near the border with Ukraine. “This new activity symbolizes a change in the pattern of deployment of forces observed in the past, and it indicates increased military readiness,” the company said, confirming the American fear that the Russians do intend to eventually invade Ukrainian territory.