The United States stated that it would provide reinforcements to NATO’s east wing after Russia invaded Ukraine, and adopted drastic new economic measures, and issued a warning to Moscow on the eve of the talks between Joe Biden and Russia. Vladimir Putin.
A senior US official said that Biden will also make it clear to Putin that the United States will not rule out the possibility of Ukraine joining NATO in the future, as requested by the Russian leader.
It is estimated that 100,000 soldiers in Russia have assembled near the border, which is the most serious crisis since the large-scale invasion of Moscow in 2015. Ukraine, Secretly dispatched tanks and artillery to surround the Ukrainian army and forced Kiev to sign a peace agreement in Minsk, which has since nearly collapsed.
The official pointed out in a briefing to reporters before the Biden-Putin video summit that Russia’s first military intervention in Ukraine resulted in more U.S. troops and equipment being deployed in the east. Europe, This time there will be a similar reaction.
“Of course, if Putin enters the station, the east wing allies will put forward more and more requests, and the United States will actively respond, requesting additional troops and capabilities and conducting exercises there to ensure safety and security. Faced with Ukraine’s this This kind of aggression, our east-wing ally,” the official said, but made it clear that Biden will not threaten the direct military response of the United States.
“The United States does not seek to use our countermeasures. The focus is on the direct use of US military power, rather than support for the Ukrainian military, strong economic countermeasures, and a substantial increase in support and capabilities for us. Then Allies to ensure that they remain safe,” the senior official said, adding that he would not disclose “what the president will say on the issue of the US military’s intervention under what circumstances.”
The official stated that “substantial economic countermeasures” in the United States and Europe may “cause significant and serious economic damage to the Russian economy.”
Biden is scheduled to meet with European leaders on Monday to prepare for the Putin summit in order to ensure that he will propose a united front. U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Brinken will also consult with the President of Ukraine, Volodmir Zelensky, Before Putin called.
Putin has said that he will seek “security guarantees” for Russia, including a ban on NATO expansion or military support for Ukraine. The White House made it clear that it would not discuss it.
The US official said: “The United States has always expressed support for the principle that every country has the sovereign right to make its own decisions regarding its security.” “This is still the US policy today, and it will continue to be the US policy in the future. So all of this. It’s all simple and straightforward.”
Russia has actually frozen direct contact with the Ukrainian government and Zelensky, who accused them of preparing to launch an attack on Russia-backed forces in the southeastern part of Ukraine. Ukraine strongly denies these claims.
Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov told his parliament on Friday that Russia has an estimated 94,000 soldiers near the Ukrainian border and may be preparing for an offensive that will begin in late January. U.S. officials have given similar estimates of the number of Russian troops and the timetable for possible attacks, because Putin has stepped up the rhetoric about the West crossing Russia’s “red line” in providing military support to the Kiev government.
Western and Russian analysts have stated that Moscow is issuing a credible threat of launching a large-scale military offensive, although there are different estimates of the possibility of Russia’s offensive and the factors that may trigger the offensive.
Michael Kofman, research project director of the CNA Security Think Tank Russia Research Project, said: “This is the largest Russian military deployment we may have seen. It must be the largest we may have seen since 2014. Military deployment.”
Koffman said that the scale of the second build-up this year, the unusual troop movement and the preparation of reserve personnel are far more complicated than what is required to issue credible threats to Ukraine and its Western allies.
“You can intimidate or scare people with smaller, more visible forces,” he said.
The Russian government accuses Washington of creating war hysteria, but Putin has publicly instructed government officials to maintain a high degree of tension with the West to ensure that their interests are not ignored.
The Ukrainians strongly oppose the decision of the Russian government to determine their destiny, and officials call on the West to provide more military and economic support.
The famous Russian foreign policy analyst Fyodor Lukyanov said that he does not believe that Russia will immediately prepare to launch an offensive.
But he said that Moscow has indicated that it is ready to use force if it cannot negotiate changes to Europe’s post-Cold War security arrangements.
“There is a real red line,” he said. “Right or wrong. But Russia believes that there is any form of military alliance between Ukraine and the West, not necessarily a NATO member… This is considered absolutely unacceptable here.”
He said Putin showed personal interest in the outcome of the conflict.
“He has no time pressure because I don’t see any signs that he is about to leave,” Lukyanov said. “But he believes he has a responsibility as president not to leave this issue to the next leadership.”
People have moderate expectations of what Biden and Putin can achieve during the video call on Tuesday, and much will depend on whether Russia stops its military buildup at least after negotiations.
“I hope they get out of the predicament and see the Russian army begin to retreat, but I think the Russian army will stay in place until more agreements are reached because they are Russia’s bargaining chips,” Olga Oliker of the Crisis Department ) Say. Group European and Central Asia Project Director.
The decision whether to negotiate with the Kremlin has aroused strong opposition in Washington and European capitals, and the policies of these countries usually manifest themselves as strict deterrence or appeasement policies.
At the same time, she said that the large number of Russian troops deployed along the Ukrainian border “remind you that the unthinkable is there.”
Lukyanov said that merely reaching an agreement for further negotiations on European security issues can be regarded as a success in Moscow.
But after the second threat of invasion since April, the pressure on the Kremlin is also increasing. They demand concrete victory, otherwise the threat may be ignored in the future.
“It would be a loss to downgrade in vain now,” Coffman said.
