The Russian Foreign Ministry issued a statement on Wednesday promising a “strong” and “painful” response to the sanctions that the United States announced once morest Moscow for the recognition of the separatists in eastern Ukraine.
Although Russian President Vladimir Putin has declared himself open to further diplomatic overtures, it is unclear what his next move will be.
The Pentagon believes that the Russian government has enough troops to launch an all-out offensive once morest Kiev and even a spokesman suggested that an invasion had already been considered.
The truth is Russia is marking the times of the crisis. President Putin keeps the community on edge, shrouding his true intentions in mystery.
The stages
For now there seem to be three likely scenarios for how the tension might play out: the first is an invasion of Ukraine.
The second would have to do with helping the separatists so that Moscow can expand its zone of influence in Eastern Europe.
By the way, the people’s republics of Donetsk and Lugansk on Wednesday asked the Russian president for help to “repel Ukraine’s military aggression”.
The third scenario has to do with reaching a negotiation to set up a new geopolitical board in the area. At that point, Russia has asked NATO to stop expanding its influence in the sphere of the former Soviet republics.
At the moment, the most likely scenario for most Western governments is that of an attack.
US Department of Defense spokesman John Kirby told a news conference that Moscow has sent additional soldiers to the Donetsk area in eastern Ukraine and that these troops have not advanced beyond that area.
“We can’t be very specific regarding the number or what kind of formations they have there, or their capabilities, but we really believe that’s happening,” Kirby said. The official added that Washington suspects that Russia will take some kind of action soon.
“What we see is that Russian forces have continued to concentrate closer to the border and are in an advanced stage of preparation to act or carry out military action in Ukraine,” he stressed.
Ukraine approved the state of emergency
In the midst of this panorama, Ukraine declared a national state of emergency on Wednesday and mobilized its reservists in the face of the possibility that Putin, who defies Western sanctions, orders an invasion of the country.
These moves prepare the Ukrainians for an eventual invasion by Russia. In fact, the president of Ukraine, Volodimir Zelensky, said on Wednesday that there are around 200,000 Russian soldiers on his borders.
In addition, Kiev requested another meeting in the UN Security Council and asked Moscow and the West for guarantees for its security in the face of the threat.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres said Wednesday that the world is facing “a moment of danger” and denounced the “violations of the territorial integrity and sovereignty” of Ukraine.
Washington and its Western allies imposed sanctions on Tuesday in response to the recognition of the separatists (something that intensified tensions) once morest whom Kiev has been fighting for eight years, a conflict that has left more than 14,000 dead.
US imposes sanctions once morest Nord Stream 2 pipeline
The United States continued this Wednesday to tighten its siege once morest Moscow. President Joe Biden announced sanctions once morest companies that have participated in the construction of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline.
Biden reported in a statement that the sanctions affect the company in charge of the construction and operation of the gas pipeline, Nord Stream 2 AG, which is registered in Switzerland.
That Swiss company is owned by the Russian energy giant Gazprom, so Biden’s sanctions are aimed directly once morest that Russian entity.
The United States had opposed the construction of Nord Stream 2 for years, believing that it would increase Europe’s dependence on Russian gas.
Many fear that the crisis might lead to the worst conflict in Europe since 1945, when World War II ended. A Russian offensive might spark a “new refugee crisis” with up to 5 million people displaced, the US ambassador to the UN warned on Wednesday.
Russia, meanwhile, has begun to evacuate its diplomatic staff from Ukraine and its flag no longer flies in Kiev.
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