
The United States, Britain, Japan, Israel, South Korea and many other countries have urged their citizens to leave Ukraine amid growing warnings of a Russian invasion. Russia has amassed more than 130,000 troops near the border with Ukraine, and has launched massive military exercises with Belarus.
Ukraine has accused Russia of blocking its access to the sea. On the other hand, the Kremlin says it wants to implement the “red lines” to ensure that its former Soviet neighbor does not join the North Atlantic Military Alliance, NATO.
The US says Russia has placed all its forces in a position to launch a military action. The threat is being taken seriously because when the Ukrainians ousted their pro-Russian president Viktor Yanukovych in early 2014, Russia annexed the southern Crimean peninsula and backed the separatists who occupied large parts of eastern Ukraine. The rebels have been fighting the Ukrainian army since then in a conflict that has claimed more than 14,000 lives.
“American citizens should leave now. This is a very different situation, and things could go crazy quickly,” US President Joe Biden warned.
US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said Russian forces were now “in a position to be able to mount a major military action” in remarks seen as a clear escalation in the urgency of warnings from US officials, and urged US citizens in Ukraine to leave as soon as possible.
Sullivan added that US intelligence believed that a swift attack on Kiev was also a possibility and that Russian President Vladimir Putin could order an invasion before the end of the Beijing Winter Olympics on February 20.
The British Foreign Office has also demanded that all its citizens in Ukraine “leave now, as long as commercial means are still available”.
We are now advising against all travel to Ukraine.
British nationals in Ukraine should leave now by commercial means.
— Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (@FCDOGovUK) February 11, 2022
Apart from the US and UK already helping Ukraine with weapons, the rest of the western countries have shown a sense of scepticism. Former Swedish foreign minister Carl Bildt wrote on Twitter that a call had been arranged between President Biden and his Russian counterpart Putin.
“It seems that the ?? is now convinced, based on information on a direct order from Putin to Russian military forces, than an attack on Ukraine could come within days. Biden has asked for a call with Putin, which is scheduled for tomorrow evening. Key allied countries have been warned” Bildt wrote on twitter.
It seems that ?? is now convinced, based on information on a direct order from Putin to ?? military forces, than an attack on ?? could come within days. Biden has asked for a call with Putin, which is scheduled for tomorrow evening. Key allied countries have been warned.
— Carl Bildt (@carlbildt) February 11, 2022
So far, there are some suggestions on the possibility for the Minsk Agreements readjustment – which aimed to end the conflict in Ukraine – that could be used as a basis for easing the current crisis.
In reality, Russia wants NATO to return to its pre-1997 borders.
The Geopost