US warns of Russian attack plans against Ukraine

The US secretary of state guarantees that the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) is "prepared to impose severe costs" against Moscow, should an invasion attempt against Kiev. Antony Blinken reinforced the warnings on the eve of a meeting with the Russian Foreign Minister in Stockholm.

After meeting with NATO foreign ministers in Riga, Latvia, Blinken assured that the organization's defenses will be strengthened "on the eastern flank".

He said that there are still no clear signs of an invasion decision, but that Russian President Vladimir Putin is preparing for this scenario: “He is creating the capacity to do it in the short term, should he decide to move forward. Therefore, despite the uncertainty about intentions and timing , we must prepare for all contingencies, while we work for Russia to reverse its trajectory”, he warns.

Without guaranteeing military intervention or other concrete action in an eventual response to Moscow, Washington asserts that it remains "unshakeable in supporting Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity."

"If Russia follows the path of confrontation, we make it clear that we will respond with determination, including a series of high-impact economic measures that we have avoided adopting in the past," said Blinken.

Faced with "evidence that Russia is planning significant aggressive moves against Ukraine," the head of US diplomacy said the United States (US) would announce the consequences "at the appropriate time."

On Thursday, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said he had debated with Antony Blinken, but also with the head of European diplomacy, Josep Borrell, the imposition of economic sanctions to deter Moscow from further aggression against Kiev.

latent conflict

Western warnings rise on the eve of a meeting between Antony Blinken and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Stockholm, scheduled for today. The meeting is parallel to a summit of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (Osce).

According to the Ukrainian government, Russia has recently mobilized between 90,000 and 100,000 troops for the border, with Russian forces carrying out two major military exercises in the region, in April and September.

On both occasions, the military left behind equipment in substantial amounts. Several satellite images show a large concentration of military vehicles in border areas.

During the month of November, the Secretary General of NATO had warned of the possibility of “aggressive action” by Russia on the border with Ukraine.

“We see an unusual military concentration at the border and we know that Russia is willing to use this type of military capability to unleash aggressive actions against Ukraine,” said Jens Stoltenberg.

Russian moves on the Ukrainian border have once again awakened fears of a resurgence of conflict in the region. In 2014, Russia unilaterally annexed Ukrainian territory from Crimea, and in the following months, Russian-backed separatist troops took control of part of the country's eastern territory. Although latent, the conflict in the region has never completely ceased.

The US secretary of state himself suggested a few days ago that Moscow has been trying to act behind the scenes of the migration crisis of recent weeks on the border between Belarus and Poland.

"The actions of the Lukashenko regime threaten security, sow division and are aimed at diverting attention from Russian activities on the Ukrainian border," said the head of US diplomacy through a spokesman.

Text translated using artificial intelligence.