“First bombs, then ground troops”
US outlines Russian invasion of Ukraine
02/13/2022, 8:32 p.m
According to the United States, Russia’s attack on Ukraine could begin at any moment. Biden’s top security adviser describes the possible military strategy: first missiles would be used, then ground troops. Telephone calls from Western heads of state do not bring a breakthrough.
The US government is sticking to its course of urgent warnings in the Ukraine crisis and defending itself against accusations that it is fueling panic. “Only one country has more than 100,000 troops massed on the border with Ukraine. That’s not the United States. It’s Russia. That’s the trigger for the alarm,” US President Joe Biden’s National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said. the television channel CNN. In the past 10 or so days, Russian troop buildup has accelerated and Russian forces have moved closer to the border with Ukraine, from where they could launch military action very quickly, Sullivan said. It is very likely “that there will be a major military action very soon”. Sullivan again warned that an invasion of Ukraine could begin at any time.
“Should there be a Russian military invasion of Ukraine, it will likely begin with a massive use of missiles and bombs,” Sullivan said. “These are never as precise as an army would like, and we don’t even know how precise the Russian army would like them to be.” So innocent civilians could be killed, regardless of their nationality. The deployment of ground troops moving across the Ukrainian border would probably follow. Again, innocent civilians could be caught in the crossfire or trapped in places. That is why the US government is so urgently calling on American citizens to leave Ukraine.
In view of the deployment of tens of thousands of Russian soldiers on the border with Ukraine, there are fears that the Kremlin is planning an invasion of the neighboring country. Moscow denies that. The US government has nevertheless been warning of an imminent invasion for weeks with increasing drama. Sullivan said on Friday that the United States considered a Russian invasion possible before the end of the Winter Olympics in China on February 20 – that is, in the coming days. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was irritated by the alarming statements from Washington and warned: “The best friend for the enemy is panic in our country.”
Kremlin: “Provocative Speculations”
With a view to US warnings of a possibly imminent Russian attack on the neighboring country, the Kremlin spoke of “provocative speculation” and “hysteria” over the weekend. Both Biden and French President Emmanuel Macron called on Russian President Vladimir Putin to de-escalate and warned of serious consequences in the event of Russian aggression.
At the beginning of the week, Chancellor Olaf Scholz also wants to campaign for a peaceful solution when he travels to Kiev and Moscow. The federal government assesses the situation in the Ukraine crisis as “extremely dangerous”. The “very worrying overall picture” will significantly shape the talks with Zelenskyj and Putin on Monday and Tuesday, according to government circles. In addition, Ukraine was promised further armaments aid – below the threshold of deadly weapons.
Diplomatic efforts took place on many levels over the weekend. According to Élysée circles, Macron also phoned Scholz and Selenskyj. Biden and Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau also exchanged telephone calls with Zelenskyj. However, in view of the lack of breakthroughs, the French media, for example, were sobered. The newspaper Le Parisien, for example, wrote of a “rush of phone calls” that failed to ease the tension.