Russia-Ukraine conflict: Tension between Ukraine and Russia is increasing.
Washington:
The United States said Thursday that Russia is on the verge of launching a massive military offensive against Ukraine, rejecting Moscow’s claim after artillery fire struck a Ukrainian kindergarten.
In a dramatic, previously unscheduled speech at the United Nations in New York, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said intelligence suggests Moscow may order an attack on its neighbor in the “coming days”.
While the US and other Western governments said they did not see any evidence to support Russia’s claim of withdrawal, Blinken challenged the Kremlin to “declare today without merit, equation or deviation that Russia will hold on to Ukraine.” Won’t invade. State it clearly. Tell it clearly to the world.”
“Exhibit this by sending your troops, your tanks, your planes, back to their barracks and hangars, and sending your diplomats to the negotiating table,” he said.
Russia denies any offensive plans, but warns of “military-technical measures” if its far-reaching demands for a US and NATO withdrawal from Eastern Europe are not met.
President Joe Biden at the White House accused Moscow of preparing a “false flag campaign” on the pretext of the attack and said it could happen “over the next several days”.
“They haven’t pulled out any of their soldiers. They’ve sent more soldiers in,” Biden said. “We have every indication that they are ready to move to Ukraine.”
However, he said that diplomacy is not dead. “There’s a way. There’s a way through,” he said.
‘forced to respond’
Russia has mobilized heavy air, land and sea forces around Ukraine. President Vladimir Putin and officials say they have no plans to invade Ukraine and the troops are only conducting drill drills.
However, Putin has made clear that the cost of removing any threat would be for Ukraine to agree to join NATO and for a Western coalition to pull back from a contingent of Eastern Europe, Cold War-style on the continent. effectively divided into spheres of influence. Ukraine is far from ready to join NATO, but has set it as part of a broader goal to integrate with Western Europe’s democracies, leading to a historic break from Russia’s orbit.
The United States said on Thursday it had received Putin’s response to his proposals for a diplomatic solution to the crisis, but did not respond to the content.
The Russian Foreign Ministry indicated that there was little to discuss.
“In the absence of the willingness of the US side to negotiate firm and legally binding guarantees on our security from the United States and its allies, Russia will be forced to respond, including military-technical measures,” the State Department said. “
“We insist on the withdrawal of all US armed forces in Central Europe, Eastern Europe and the Baltics,” it added.
Russia also expelled the number two US diplomat in Moscow, with the US State Department condemning the action as “unprovoked”.
artillery fire on kindergarten
Russia annexed Ukraine’s Crimea region and began supporting heavily armed separatists in the eastern Donetsk and Lugansk regions in 2014, sparking a war that has already claimed thousands of lives.
Sporadic fighting remains common in the past and the Ukrainian military on Thursday accused pro-Russian separatists of 34 ceasefire violations, 28 of which used heavy weapons.
Potentially the most serious incident – an example of the kind of spark that many fear could ignite a far more intense fight – was the gunfight at a kindergarten in the village of Stanisia-Luganska. Children were inside but no one was hurt.
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky tweeted that “the attack by pro-Russian forces is a major provocative attack.”
Russian news agencies meanwhile quoted officials in the separatist Lugansk region as saying they blamed Kiev because the situation on the border had “greatly aggravated.”
US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin described Thursday’s reports as “disturbing”.
“We’ve said for a while that the Russian military might do something to justify the conflict. So we’re watching it very closely,” Austin told reporters after a meeting with NATO counterparts.
Western capitals say they are also concerned by the request of the Russian parliament that Putin offer unilateral recognition of independence for separatists in eastern Ukraine, perhaps ending the country’s chances of reunification.
British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said: “If this request is accepted, it will … reflect the Russian decision to choose a path of confrontation rather than dialogue.”
Earlier this week Putin claimed without evidence that Ukraine was carrying out “genocide” in the eastern region.
disputed pull-out
Moscow made a series of withdrawal announcements this week and said on Thursday that units in the southern and western military districts, including tank units, were returning to their bases near Ukraine.
Defense ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said some troops had returned to their garrisons in several areas off the border, including Chechnya and Dagestan in the North Caucasus and near Nizhny Novgorod, about 300 kilometers (185 miles) east of Moscow.
The United States, NATO and Ukraine all said they saw no evidence of a pullback, with Washington saying that Russia had actually moved 7,000 more troops near the border.
According to US officials, about 150,000 Russian troops are now stationed in offensive groups along Ukraine’s southern, eastern and northern borders.
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
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