The crisis in Ukraine, what is Russia looking for, how did the US respond – yes Germany?

This comes after Russia has amassed 100 thousand troops near the borders of Ukraine, however the Russian state has denied the claim that it is planning an invasion.

On Thursday, US President Joe Biden said he believed Russia could attack its neighbor next month.

“President Biden has said there is a clear possibility that the Russians could invade Ukraine in February,” said White House National Security Council spokeswoman Emily Horne.

But is there ‘noise for nothing’ over the current Ukraine-Russia crisis?

On Friday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called on the West not to panic over the gathering of Russian troops on its borders.

According to Zelensky, warnings of an imminent invasion are endangering Ukraine’s economy. While Russia has amassed about 100,000 troops, he said he sees no greater threat now than during a similar troop rally last spring.

However, the Ukrainian president was not opposing US intelligence on the massive troop gathering, but went on to suggest that Russia was spreading scary rumors.

He reminded people that his country has lived under the threat of Russian aggression for years.

Despite this, warnings of further moves by Russia are continuing.

Foreign media reported on Friday that Russia was shifting blood supplies along with other medical supplies to the military base near Ukraine.

These would allow in the treatment of persons who may suffer injuries, according to reports this was another key to Moscow’s military readiness.

As is already known, Russia has deployed about 100,000 troops, artillery tanks and missiles near the Ukrainian border.

Given this situation, US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin stated on Friday that the gathering of Russian forces has reached the point where Russian President Vladimir Putin has a full range of military options.

“While we do not believe President Putin has made a final decision to use these forces against Ukraine, he already has the capability,” Austin told a news conference at the Pentagon.

Even the senior US general, Mark Milley, has stated that a Russian invasion of Ukraine would be “terrible” and would lead to a significant number of casualties.

General Millery described the gathering of Russian troops as the largest since the Cold War.

Meanwhile, the head of Germany’s foreign intelligence service, Bruno Kahl, said Russia was prepared to attack Ukraine, but had not yet decided whether to do so.

“I believe the decision to attack has not been made yet,” Kahl told Reuters.

Why is the threat happening and what is Russia asking from the West?

Russia is urging the West not to allow Ukraine’s membership in the NATO military alliance;

NATO must end military activity in Eastern Europe, demanding the withdrawal of troops from Poland and from countries such as Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania;

The Alliance should not deploy missiles near or on the border with Russia.

How has the US responded?

Russia’s request not to allow Ukraine to join NATO was rejected by the United States.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the US response to Russia “sets a serious diplomatic path forward if Russia chooses it”.

“The document we have submitted includes the concerns of the United States and our allies and partners about Russia’s actions that undermine security, a principled and pragmatic assessment of the concerns raised by Russia, and our proposals for areas where we may be able to “we find common ground,” Blinken was quoted as saying.

He declined to elaborate on the specifics presented in Moscow, but said the US response echoed what the US and NATO had said publicly – that they would support NATO’s “open door policy”, rejecting it. Moscow’s demands that NATO commit to never accepting Ukraine.

Russian President Vladimir Putin also reacted to the case, telling his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron that the West had ignored Russia’s security concerns.

What about Germany?

On the other hand, Germany’s unwillingness to join other NATO members, such as the United States, Britain and the Baltic states – in sending weapons, has provoked reactions among the allies and frustrated the pro-Western government in Kiev.

Olaf Scholz’s new center-left government has said it is working to ease the crisis, but has ruled out sending deadly weapons, a position also held by Angela Merkel’s former government.

The German defense minister initially said Germany would send 5,000 helmets to Ukraine after it was criticized for not sending weapons to the country, despite the threat of a Russian invasion.

And this had provoked a reaction from the former world heavyweight boxing champion and the current mayor of the Ukrainian capital, Kiev, Vitali Klitschko.

He described Germany’s latest bid for Ukraine as “ridiculous” and stressed the lack of support from Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s government.

However, Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock later said that Germany was preparing a “strong” package of sanctions against Russia if it invaded Ukraine, including targeting the Nord Stream pipeline 2. / Telegrafi /

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