“Ukraine is a war zone… limited work”
3,000 additional troops to Poland
Judging that a Russian invasion of Ukraine was imminent, the US virtually closed the US embassy in Ukraine and called Ukraine a ‘war zone’. US President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin had a phone call on the 12th (local time) to discuss a solution to the situation, but did not find a solution. There are concerns that the risk of World War III may increase, as President Biden warned.
○ U.S. Embassy in Ukraine virtually closed
The U.S. State Department ordered the withdrawal of most of the U.S. embassy staff in Kiev, the Ukrainian capital, and began destroying confidential documents. It also announced that 160 U.S. troops from the U.S. Florida State Guard, who were supporting Ukrainian military training, would be withdrawn from Ukraine. From the 13th, consular services at the US embassy will also be suspended. On the 11th, the evacuation order was issued for all Americans in Ukraine to leave Ukraine within 48 hours.
“We are seeing signs that we are heading towards the worst-case scenario,” a State Department official said. “The current situation is heading towards a real clash,” he said. “What we can do in Warzone is very limited.” US Secretary of State Tony Blincoln said: “We are at a window where an aggression can begin at any time.” White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan added: “Aggression might start at any time.”
In particular, the Pentagon said it would send an additional 3,000 troops to Poland to counter the Russian threat. They will join the 1,700 U.S. Army’s 82nd Airborne Division deployed to Poland on the 2nd.
○ Biden-Putin, no breakthrough
President Biden and Putin spoke for 62 minutes on the 12th. Initially, Russia had hoped for a call on the 14th, but the United States suggested that the call be made earlier. The two leaders also spoke on the phone for 50 minutes on December 30 last year to resolve the crisis in Ukraine. “There was no fundamental change,” a Biden administration official said, according to the Associated Press.
“If Russia invades Ukraine, the United States, together with its allies and partners, will respond decisively and ensure that Russia pays a swift and serious price,” the White House reported. President Biden also talked on the phone with the leaders of Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, and the heads of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) to discuss solutions to the situation.
The Kremlin said in a statement regarding the US-Russian summit call that “President Biden expressed his plan for Russia’s security claims, but it did not reflect Russia’s core concerns.”
Prior to the phone call between the US and Russia leaders, Blincoln and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov spoke for 35 minutes on the same day. Secretary Blincoln said he was “committed to discussions to find a diplomatic path to resolving the crisis.” Lavrov also said Russia was finalizing a response to a letter sent by the US and said it would be “coming soon.”
Putin also spoke with French President Emmanuel Macron for 100 minutes on the same day. On the 7th, President Macron visited Moscow, Russia, and held a summit meeting, five days following the summit was resumed. The two leaders discussed ways to properly implement the ceasefire agreement signed in 2015 between Ukraine, Russia and pro-Russian rebels in Ukraine in Minsk, Belarus. This agreement is rarely followed.
○ Order to evacuate one following another to the citizens of Ukraine
Countries around the world are instructing their citizens to “leave Ukraine.” Following South Korea, the United States and Japan, France, Britain, the Netherlands, and Israel also ordered their citizens to immediately withdraw.
Even Russia, a threat to Ukraine, is reported to have withdrawn some diplomats from Ukraine. According to the Financial Times (FT), Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on the 12th that “in consideration of the possibility of provocations by Ukraine or a third country, we have decided to optimize diplomatic missions in Ukraine.” She said she would leave diplomats out of Ukraine, leaving only the minimum manpower needed.
Ukrainians held anti-Russian rallies every day to condemn Russia. According to the Guardian, on the 12th, citizens of the capital Kiev sang the national anthem from all over the city, while chanting ‘Ukrainians will resist’ and ‘Glory to Ukraine’.
Washington = Byung-ki Moon, Correspondent weappon@donga.com
Paris = Correspondent Yunjong Kim zozo@donga.com
Cairo = Correspondent Hwang Seong-ho hsh0330@donga.com