SErgueï Lavrov, the Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs, accused during a telephone call to his American counterpart Antony Blinken, this Saturday, February 12, Washington of wanting to provoke a conflict in Ukraine with his accusations of a possible imminent Russian invasion. Sergey Lavrov “stressed that the propaganda campaign launched by the United States and its allies on Russian aggression against Ukraine is aimed at provocation, encouraging the authorities in Kiev” to embark on a “military resolution of the problem Donbass,” the statement said.
Following these declarations, Antony Blinken affirmed that the diplomatic way remained “open” to avoid a conflict in Ukraine, but would require a “de-escalation” on the part of Moscow, during a telephone call with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov Saturday, according to the State Department. An invasion of Ukraine, which Russia is accused of plotting, “would result in a resolute, massive, and united transatlantic response,” State Department spokesman Ned Price added.
French President Emmanuel Macron spoke for 1:40 a.m. on Saturday with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin to try to ease the growing tension in the Russian-Ukrainian crisis, the Elysee Palace said. This interview, which began at 12:30 p.m. (French time), preceded a call to be made later by US President Joe Biden and Vladimir Putin. French President Emmanuel Macron warned his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on Saturday that a “sincere dialogue was not compatible with a military escalation” on the Ukrainian border, the Elysee Palace announced after a telephone interview. During this discussion, Emmanuel Macron and Vladimir Putin “both expressed a desire to continue the dialogue” on “the ways to move forward on the implementation of the Minsk agreements” on the Donbass and on “the security conditions and stability in Europe”, added the French presidency. The French president also “passed on the concerns of his European partners and his allies”, she said.
100,000 Russian soldiers on the Ukrainian border
American warnings about an imminent attack by Russia against Ukraine “cause panic and do not help” Ukrainians, denounced President Volodymyr Zelensky on Saturday, quoted by the Interfax-Ukraine agency. “Currently, our enemies’ best friend is panic in our country. And all this information (about an attack) only causes panic and does not help us,” he said during a trip to the provinces.
Donbass is a region in eastern Ukraine bordering Russia where Ukrainian forces have been fighting pro-Russian separatists backed by Moscow for eight years. Calls between Russian President Vladimir Putin and his American counterparts Joe Biden and French Emmanuel Macron are also scheduled for the day. On Friday, Washington presented the threat of a Russian invasion as potentially imminent.
Russia has deployed more than 100,000 men on the Ukrainian borders, and is now also conducting maneuvers in the Black Sea and Belarus, de facto encircling its pro-Western neighbor. Westerners want to wrest a sign of de-escalation from Russia, which is demanding that Westerners cease all NATO expansion and their support for Ukraine. Both sides reject the other’s demands, blaming each other for the tensions.
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Departure of American soldiers
On Saturday, the US Embassy in Ukraine announced a recall of its non-essential diplomatic staff. Russia has also indicated that it has reduced the size of its embassy. The list of countries calling on their nationals to leave is also constantly growing, with in particular Germany, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Canada, Norway and even Australia, Japan and Israel.
The United States has ordered the withdrawal of the 160 American soldiers who were training Ukrainian forces to “reposition them elsewhere in Europe”, Pentagon spokesman John Kirby announced on Saturday. US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin made the decision regarding these Florida National Guard soldiers “out of an abundance of caution, with the safety and security of the workforce in mind,” the statement said.
“This repositioning does not constitute a change in our determination to support Ukrainian forces, but will provide flexibility to reassure our allies and prevent any aggression,” added John Kirby. Since 2015, reservists from the American National Guard have been rotating to train and train the Ukrainian army, alongside soldiers from other NATO countries, notably Canadians and Germans.
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