Russian troop movement on the Ukrainian border has led to talk of invasion. With forces massing in four locations, in some cases with tanks and artillery, U.S. intelligence believes the Kremlin is planning a multi-front offensive against its smaller neighbor involving up to 175,000 troops, The Washington Post reported Friday.
It could begin as soon as early next year, sources told The Post. This ominous threat of major ground war in Europe hangs over President Biden’s call with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday.
Though the virtual summit was only announced over the weekend, Kremlin officials have stressed that the issues in the relationship have been brewing for some time. “The Augean stables in our bilateral relations can hardly be cleaned out over several hours of negotiations,” Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov told Russia’s TV Channel One on Monday.
The Associated Press stated that President Joe Biden is ready to warn Vladimir Putin during a video call Tuesday that Russia will face economy-jarring sanctions if it invades neighboring Ukraine as Biden seeks a diplomatic solution to deal with the tens of thousands of Russian troops massed near the Ukraine border.
Biden aims to make clear that his administration stands ready to take actions against the Kremlin that would exact “a very real cost” on the Russian economy, according to White House officials. Putin, for his part, is expected to demand guarantees from Biden that the NATO military alliance will never expand to include Ukraine, which has long sought membership. That’s a non-starter for the Americans and their NATO allies.
“We’ve consulted significantly with our allies and believe we have a path forward that would impose significant and severe harm on the Russian economy,” White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Monday in previewing the meeting. “You can call that a threat. You can call that a fact. You can call that preparation. You can call it whatever you want to call it.”
Meanwhile, Ukraine has warned of a ‘bloody massacre’ and five million Ukrainian refugees fleeing into Europe if Russia decides to invade Kiev according to the Daily Mail.
Satellite images have revealed huge new camps of Russian troops, tanks, and artillery along the border as Putin continues massing his forces on Europe’s doorstep. Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov told CNN there would be a ‘really bloody massacre’ if Russia invaded Ukraine and warned that ‘Russian guys also will come back in coffins’.
Biden and Putin are expected to hold a key video conference today amid fears over the build-up of troops in Ukraine. The US President plans to warn Putin of severe economic consequences if Russia invades neighboring Ukraine in an effort to gain a diplomatic solution to deal with the tens of thousands of Russian troops at the border.
The UK has also joined Western leaders in vowing to form a ‘united front’ over Russian hostility toward Ukraine, with Prime Minister Boris Johnson vowing to use all ‘economic and diplomatic tools at the UK’s disposal’.
UK Foreign Minister Vicky Ford today said the cost of Russia invading Ukraine would be ‘catastrophically high’ and the UK is considering an extension of ‘purely defensive’ support for Kiev. European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen said Russia will be hit with tougher EU sanctions if its military threatens Ukraine.
