Vladimir Putin claimed that Ukraine would ‘deploy arms’ against Russia, if NATO was allowed to be joined.
Putin did not speak for the first-time since his conversation with Joe Biden. However, he said that he didn’t intend to declare whether Ukraine would be invaded. But urged that Kiev should stop putting more soldiers and weapons at the border.
He said, “We cannot help but be worried about Ukraine’s possibility of admission to NATO. This will undoubtedly follow by the deployments of the appropriate military contingents bases and weapons that threat us.”
Putin stressed the importance of NATO expansion to East Russia.
He said, “It is one the key questions to preserving Russia’s safety,”
Putin dispatched nearly 100,000 troops to the Ukrainian frontier in a move that Moscow claimed was only to respond to Russia’s military hardware buildup.
Russian President Vladimir Putin seen Tuesday in Sochi’s Bocharov Ruchei Residence
Biden speaks with Putin on Tuesday during the virtual summit in order to discuss tensions regarding Ukraine
Ukrainian troops out on the border in the Donetsk region on Tuesday. Since 2008, Ukrainian troops in the region have been fighting Russian-backed separatists.
Russia currently has 50 battalions that include up to 94,000 troops at its border with Ukraine. Additional 80,000 to 100,000 soldiers are kept in reserve. They will soon be ready for invasion, according to the US.
Biden and the Russian President held a virtual summit on Tuesday. They warned that US troops will back Ukraine in a battle, and would oppose a repetition of 2014’s annexation.
Volodymyr Zeleskiy, the Ukrainian president, today welcomed Biden’s ‘personal role’ in defusing tensions.
At a press conference, Zelenskiy stated that he hopes Russia and Ukraine can agree to a ceasefire and prisoner swaps after their talks about the conflict in Ukraine’s eastern Donbass.
For the past eight years, Ukrainian forces have been fighting Russian-backed separatists in the territory.
Zelenskiy stated that he thought it was positive that President of United States talked with the Russian Federation president.
‘The important thing is to see that the President Biden is taking a real personal response and playing a part in solving this conflict, which is the war in our east.
Jack Sullivan, the US National Security Advisor claimed last night that Biden viewed President Putin in his eyes and said to him that things that we didn’t do in 2014 are now possible.
After the call, the White House said Biden voiced concern over the Russian buildup near the Ukrainian border.
PresidentIt was clear that both the U.S. government and its allies would take strong economic and other responses in case of military escalation.
The Kremlin slammed Sullivan’s account of the event. They claimed that Biden gave in to Putin’s demands, and denied that President Obama had warned the Russian leader not to invade.
Yuri Ushakov (for foreign affairs) said Biden was open to ‘detailed discussions’ with Putin regarding what military support was being provided to Ukraine and NATO’s efforts to conquer’ the territory.
Ushakov, 74, a former ambassador to the US, taunted the Americans by denying that a Russian invasion was even raised in the online talks.
“This was not mentioned,” he stated. To send troops to Ukraine. How, what’s that? It was some sort of invading or something? This was never mentioned.
Volodymyr Zelensky, Ukrainian president, visited positions at the frontline of pro-Russian militants from the Donetsk area on Monday
This meme was posted by Ukraine’s official twitter account on Tuesday. It contains a dark joke about its ‘headache’ from living next to Russia.
Ukrainian soldiers stand at the line of seperation from pro-Russian rebels in Katerinivka (Donetsk Region, Ukraine), Tuesday
Ushakov dismissed the West’s capability to apply sanctions to Moscow. “Sanctions have not been around for too long, and they’ve been there for quite some time. But, unfortunately, it doesn’t have any positive impact on the US nor Russia,” he said.
Economic sanctions that could hit Russia’s top banks and Moscow’s ability for it to convert its currency roubles into US dollars are meant to deter the Russian President’s use of tens or thousands of troops positioned near its border with Ukraine in order to attack its southern neighbor.
Sullivan was questioned by reporters at the White House about his response to a Russian military escalation of Ukraine.
According to him, the US expects Baltic allies Romania, Poland, and other, need to become more worried about their security.
‘They will be seeking, we expect, additional capabilities and potentially additional deployments and the United States will be looking to respond positively to those things in the event that there is a further incursion into Ukraine,’ Sullivan answered.
A group of Russian Combat Army Reserve Reservists fire at targets near Volgograd as part a firing exercise in a camp at Prudboy firing area, which is located southwest Russia.
He stated that the sanctions could include the suspension of Russian gas lucrative exports via its Nord Stream 2 pipeline.
Biden and Putin were speaking, while Ukrainian officials became more concerned about Russia’s tens of thousand troops stationed near the border.
Hours before the beginning of the call, Ukrainian officials stated that Russia had escalated the simmering crisis further by sending tanks to war-torn Ukraine and snipers there to “provoke back fire” and create a pretext to invade.
Ukraine warned about a “bloody massacre” and 5 million Ukrainian refugees fleeing to Europe in case Russia invades Kiev.
As Putin continues to masse his troops on Europe’s doorstep, satellite images show huge Russian tanks, artillery and troop camps.
Since 2014 when Putin annexed Crimea, tensions have simmered and threatened to boil over since April 2015 when Moscow started assembling forces in the area.
The country’s Combat Army Reserve reservists fire in firing exercises at Prudboy firing area near Volgograd
Near Chelyabinsk, the aviation regiment held warplane training in the skies above Shagol airbase
The country’s Combat Army Reserve reservists fire in firing exercises at Prudboy firing area near Volgograd
Britain has joined Western leaders by vowing to create a united front against Russian hostility towards Ukraine. Prime Minister Boris Johnson pledged to make use of all diplomatic and economic tools available to the UK.
Vicky Ford, UK Foreign Minister said that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine would have a catastrophic effect on the country and that the UK was considering extending ‘purely defensive support’ for Kiev.
Ursula von der Leyen, chief of European Commission, stated that Russia would be subject to tougher EU sanctions should it threaten Ukraine’s military.
According to the Kremlin’s statement before the meeting, it didn’t expect any breakthroughs and has since denied having plans to invade Ukraine.
Moscow is expressing growing annoyance over Western military assistance to Ukraine. This fellow ex-Soviet republic has tilted toward the West ever since a popular rebellion toppled a proRussian president in 2014. It also refers to NATO’s creeping expansion.
Moscow has also doubted Ukrainian intentions. It said that Kiev must be guaranteed it will not resort to force to retake territories lost to Russia in 2014. Ukraine is eschewing this scenario.