Nicolas Pinault
The question of Moscow’s strategy in Ukraine arises more than ever. If the Russian forces have begun a repositioning around kyiv, the United States are cautious. The US administration has called for a “real withdrawal” of Vladimir Putin’s forces to end the threats.
What is really happening in Ukraine? Russian forces around kyiv have begun a “repositioning” but “not a real withdrawal”, US Department of Defense spokesman John Kirby said on Tuesday. “We can confirm that we have seen a small number of ‘troops’ beginning to reposition,” he told reporters. But “we must be ready to see a major offensive against other areas of Ukraine” and “that does not mean that the threat against kyiv is over”, he warned.
Americans are very skeptical of negotiations with Russia. Starting with Joe Biden. From the White House, the American president said on Tuesday that he preferred to wait for concrete actions on the ground rather than believing statements from Moscow. Same story for Antony Blinken, the Secretary of State visiting Morocco. The head of American diplomacy said he was suspicious. He warned against the Kremlin’s shenanigans.
Continued pressure
The Pentagon and the American intelligence agencies believe it: in this war, Russian troops are currently operating a tactical regrouping rather than a significant withdrawal around kyiv.
The threat remains and the bombardments on the Ukrainian capital continued yesterday. What is certain is that Washington will continue to put pressure on the Russians by maintaining economic sanctions against Moscow and continuing military support for the Ukrainians.