According to the Pentagon, the deployment of Russian forces continues – Biden is in a phone call with Selinsky
“Putin is achieving more than we want to realize in the West”
After the annexation of Crimea, Putin was a near-international pariah. Now everyone is talking about him again,” said Russia correspondent Christoph Wanner. He achieved his goal of being treated as an equal by rattling his swords on the Ukrainian border.
According to the US government, the strength of Russian forces on the Ukrainian border has continued to increase “in the past 24 hours”. Biden reiterates his support for Ukraine. EU Commission President von der Leyen stresses: Prepare for the worst.
WLUkrainian President Joe Biden again pledged his support in the event of a Russian invasion of Ukraine in a phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. According to the White House on Thursday, Binden reiterated the “willingness” of the United States “to respond decisively, with its allies and partners, if Russia invades Ukraine further.”
Washington is considering “additional macroeconomic support to help Ukraine’s economy under pressure from Russia’s military buildup.” After the United States recently ordered the departure of relatives of its diplomats from Kiev, Biden confirmed Thursday that the US embassy there “remains open and fully functional.” The decision sparked protests from the Ukrainian government.
Satellite images show Russian troops at a training ground in Voronezh
Cowell: AP / Planet Labs PBC
After the conversation, Zelensky tweeted that the two had a “long phone conversation” where they “discussed recent diplomatic efforts to de-escalate and agreed on joint actions for the future.” He expressed gratitude for the US arms delivery and explained that “the possibility of providing financial support to Ukraine was also discussed.”
According to the Pentagon, the deployment of Russian forces continues
According to the US government, Russia is massing more troops on the Ukrainian border. “With regard to the Russian build-up, we are also witnessing – in the past 24 hours – another build-up (…) of combat forces that the Russians have deployed in the western part of their country and in Belarus,” Pentagon spokesman John said. Kirby on Thursday. Kirby did not say how many armed forces have joined recently. The rearmament was not “dramatic”, but it was not “frozen” either.
Kirby announced more military aid to Ukraine. So the following deliveries should reach the site soon. “We will not detail all of the items included in these shipments,” Kirby added. With the aim of spreading to the Ukrainian border, they want to be careful with this information. “We are in constant contact with Ukraine about their needs and capabilities.”
NATO and many other countries have criticized the deployment of troops on the border with Ukraine for weeks. Secret Service agents fear a Russian invasion of the neighboring country. However, the deployment is also believed to be a means of putting pressure on NATO countries to accept Russian proposals for new security agreements.
Meanwhile, the United States has asked the United Nations Security Council to hold a public meeting on Russia’s behavior against Ukraine. The US ambassador to the United Nations, Linda Thomas Greenfield, said in a statement that Russia’s threatening behavior will be discussed publicly next Monday at the UN Security Council.
Barbock: Germany will not return embassy staff in Kiev
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen stressed that in the event of a Russian invasion of Ukraine, Russia could be excluded from the express payment system and the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline could end. She said in an interview with CNN Thursday evening when asked about the related sanctions: Nothing is off the table.” She also stressed that they are trying to find a solution at the negotiating table, but they are also preparing for the worst.
The European Union is Russia’s largest trading partner, accounting for about 40 percent of trade in goods, and the largest foreign investor. “These numbers show that we have strong leverage and that it will be very painful for Russia if aggression against Ukraine escalates.”
Unlike the USA and Great Britain, Germany does not want to reduce the number of staff of its embassy in the Ukrainian capital, Kiev. If economic actors have a feeling that the situation in Ukraine as a whole is uncertain or unstable, the desire to invest will decrease. “This is exactly what Putin will play in the cards,” Foreign Minister Annalena Barbuk (Green Party) said in support of the Funke media group and the French daily Quest France.
The foreign minister said it was now important not to destabilize Ukraine. Its message to Kiev is that they want to expand economic cooperation. According to the minister, the security situation of embassy staff is constantly reviewed. If family members of embassy staff want to leave the country voluntarily, they can do so at the expense of the German Foreign Office.
