Russia[/B] and Ukraine are on the brink of a military conflict, having put the world community on alert in order to avoid war but at the same time not to change the status quo in the region.
At a time when Russia has more than 100.000 troops near Ukrainian territory, thus surrounding it, the European Union and the US are trying to ensure that Ukraine's territorial integrity (after the loss of Crimea) is not further damaged, but at the same time their own interests in the region are not affected.
Moscow[/B] for its part appears ready for anything and threatens in turn that if sanctions are imposed on it then it will leave Europe to... "freeze", as it seems that one of Russia's strongest diplomatic cards is natural gas, of which it threatens to cut off the flow. At the same time, it does not seem willing to back down, which shows that the possibility of an invasion has not left Moscow's mind.
In principle, the economy
The countries of Europe will not be able to obtain oil, gas and metals from Russia in case the Russian Federation is disconnected from the international interbank payment system SWIFT, Chairman of the Federation Council (upper house of parliament) Nikolai Zuravliov told TASS. "SWIFT is a payment system, it is a service. That is why if they disconnect Russia from SWIFT, then we will not receive foreign currency, but the buyers, the countries of Europe first and foremost, will not receive our goods, such as oil, gas, metals and other important products that they import. Do they need this? I don't think so," Zuravliov said.
Earlier, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson had said that the British government is discussing with the United States the possibility of disconnecting Russia from the SWIFT system in case Russian troops invade Ukraine. However, Boris Johnson did not stop there. The British Prime Minister accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of having ambitions to reconstitute the great Russia, setting his sights on other states of the former Soviet Union to rebuild what the British Prime Minister described as Russia's old sphere of influence. "What Putin basically wants is to return to the old system of spheres of influence, and it's not just Ukraine ... that's his plan," Johnson told the House of Commons. He urged European allies to be ready to impose a new package of tough sanctions against Russia if it invades Ukraine, noting that Western unity would help deter[/B] Russian aggression.
Precautionary measures with civilian evacuations
[BR][BR]Following threats of economic sanctions on both sides, Western countries are rushing to ensure that their citizens do not find themselves in the midst of exchanged fire from both sides. In this context, the United States, Australia, Britain, Germany and Canada are removing members[/B] of their family officials from their embassies in Ukraine.
Ukraine's Foreign Minister, Dmitry Kuleba, said Tuesday that of 129 diplomatic missions located in Ukraine, only four countries, the United States, Australia, Britain, and Germany, have informed Kiev of their intention to remove members of their staff. Later, Canada's Foreign Ministry informed of its decision to temporarily remove family members of their diplomats from Ukraine, Ukrainian news agency Ukrinform reported.
But the US State Department had issued a similar statement on Sunday through which it called on the families of US diplomats in Ukraine to leave the country, considering that Russia could take military action at any time. Kyodo Agency, citing its own sources, reported that the Japanese government is considering the possibility of evacuating its citizens including diplomatic officials.
Ukrinform, citing the news website NOS, reported that Dutch Foreign Minister Vopke Hukstra said that "employees of the Dutch embassy in Ukraine and their families can return to the Netherlands if they wish."
Where there is no stick, there are ... guns
But the situation in the region day by day shows that the thermometer has risen into the red. To reassure NATO allies, the US is putting more than 8,000 troops on alert while sending military hardware to Ukraine.
A U.S. aircraft carrying military equipment and ammunition landed in Kiev today, the third shipment of a $200 million security package to support Ukraine, which is preparing for the possibility of a Russian military attack.
"Our partners are increasing the scope of military assistance. And today we are welcoming the third aircraft from the US government as part of this assistance," Ukrainian Defense Minister Alexey Reznikov told reporters before the aircraft landed.
Biden will not unilaterally send troops to Ukraine
US President Joe Biden, however, does not intend to unilaterally send US troops to Ukraine, the White House said today, after Washington raised about 8.500 troops on standby to reassure NATO allies ahead of the Russian military buildup on the border with Ukraine.
"To be clear: there is no intention or interest or desire by the President to send military forces to Ukraine. NATO is a forum to support our partners and our countries in NATO's eastern wing and that is the focus," the statement said.
Kremlin v. Washington over military forces in Eastern Europe
The Kremlin, however, denounced Washington's decision to put US military forces on alert, ready to deploy to Europe if necessary, as escalating tensions around Ukraine. "We are watching the US actions with great concern," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, adding that the US was "de facto" causing "a new escalation of tensions".
Boris Johnson
Boris Johnson's rhetoric on sanctions on Russia may have been outlined earlier, but London does not rule out, within the framework of NATO if necessary, participating in military operations and strengthening the Western front in the region. The British Prime Minister stressed that London would look to contribute to any new NATO deployments to protect its allies in Europe if Russia invades Ukraine. If Putin's goal is to keep NATO forces away from Russia's borders, then "invading Ukraine by force could be more counterproductive," he said.
"We cannot bargain away the vision of a whole and free Europe that emerged in those amazing years from 1989 to 1991," Johnson said, referring to the fall of the Berlin Wall, the end of communist rule in Eastern Europe and the collapse of the Soviet Union. "By healing the Iron Curtain division of our continent, we will not reopen that divide by agreeing to overthrow the European security order because Russia has put a gun to Ukraine's head."
Paris declares "present"
The barrage of statements on the Russian-Ukrainian crisis was joined by French President, Emmanuel Macron, who threatened a high price for Moscow if it decides to attack Ukraine.
France
and Germany will not abandon the dialogue with Russia, but if Moscow chooses to attack Ukraine, the price will be high, French President Emmanuel Macron said on Tuesday, Reuters reported. Macron, speaking at a news conference with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in Berlin, said Europe and its allies were united on the Ukraine issue.
Ukraine warns US to avoid lobbying
However, Ukraine's foreign minister warned US President Joe Biden not to strike any deal with Vladimir Putin as Russia moves closer to invading Ukraine and the US weighs the deployment of troops.
"If someone makes a concession for Ukraine behind Ukraine's back, first of all, we will not accept it," Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba told CNN. "We will not be in the position of a country that talks on the phone, listens to the instructions of the great power and follows them. We paid a lot, including 15,000 lives of our citizens, to secure the right to decide our future, our fate, and we will not allow anyone to impose any concessions on us," he added.
We have no illusions but there is hope, Zelensky says
Ukraine's president Volodymyr Zelensky, however, urged citizens to remain calm in the face of the threat of a Russian attack, noting that a process is underway to hold a meeting between him and the leaders of Russia, France and Germany.
In his speech, broadcast on television, Zelensky said that withdrawal of Western embassy officials from Kiev does not mean that a military escalation with Russia is inevitable. "We don't see things rosy, we don't have childish illusions, not everything is simple... But there is hope," Zelensky said. "Protect your body from viruses, your brain from lies, your heart from panic," the Ukrainian president urged his compatriots.
Source: Proto Thema
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