Irussian troops massed on the border with Ukraine “deploy” and “prepare to strike”, according to US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, visiting Lithuania on Saturday. “They are deploying and getting ready to strike,” the US official said, adding that the Russian military “are moving to the right positions to be able to carry out an attack”. The American official also clarified that he agreed with President Joe Biden, who said he was “convinced” that Vladimir Putin had made “the decision” to invade Ukraine. Mortar shells exploded near the Ukrainian Minister of the Interior, Denys Monastyrsky, during his trip to the front line in the east of the country, journalists from Agence France-Presse noted on Saturday. The incident caused no injuries.
Germany, which holds the presidency of the G7, distanced itself on Saturday with the conviction of the United States, calling for “not to presume” decisions from Moscow. But this Saturday, Germany is calling on its nationals to leave Ukraine “urgently” because of the risk of armed conflict in the country, according to a press release published by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The German company Lufthansa announces that it will cease its flights to Kiev and Odessa from Monday.
READ ALSOGérard Araud – Emmanuel Macron was right to go to Moscow and Kiev
A few minutes later, France gives the same advice to its nationals. Strategic exercises under the leadership of Putin. France now recommends that all its nationals leave Ukraine and calls on those in the most exposed areas in the east of the country to leave “without delay”. “It is recommended that all French nationals whose stay in Ukraine has no compelling reason to leave the country”, underlines French diplomacy in its travel advice updated on Saturday. Those who are “in the oblasts of Kharkiv, Lugansk and Donetsk” as well as in the Dnipro region are “called upon to leave these areas without delay”, she adds.
Strategic trials supervised by Putin
Under the supervision of Vladimir Putin, maneuvers by his strategic forces, in particular with the firing of ballistic and cruise missiles, took place on Saturday. At the stroke of noon, the spokesman for the Russian presidency, Dmitry Peskov indicated that the exercises had begun, Vladimir Putin following their progress with his counterpart and Belarusian ally Alexander Lukashenko.
READ ALSOVladimir Putin and the torture of the table
Ukraine is “preparing for all scenarios”
For its part, Ukraine is “preparing for all possible scenarios”, declared its head of diplomacy Dmytro Kouleba on Saturday. “We are preparing for all possible scenarios”, launched the Ukrainian minister in Munich, to journalists who questioned him on the latest statements by Joe Biden, who said he was certain of an imminent invasion of Ukraine by the Russia.
READ ALSOUkraine facing the pitfalls of the Minsk agreements
Faced with the growing risk that this crisis will degenerate into armed conflict in the heart of Europe, the G7 foreign ministers convened an extraordinary meeting on Saturday noon, on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has maintained his trip to Munich, despite the worsening tensions, where he is to deliver a speech and have bilateral talks with several leaders.