The Russian Foreign Ministry issued a statement on Wednesday promising a “strong” and “painful” response to the sanctions that the United States announced against Moscow for the recognition of the separatists in eastern Ukraine.
(Read here: How Russia prepared to deal with Western sanctions)
Although the Russian president, Vladimir Putin declared himself open to new diplomatic approaches, it is not clear what his next move will be.
(You may be interested in: Ukraine and Russia crisis: why does it affect the gas supply in Germany?)
The Pentagon believes that the Russian government has enough troops to launch an all-out offensive against Kiev and even a spokesman suggested that the invasion had already been thought of.
The truth is that Russia is marking the times of the crisis. President Putin keeps the community on edge, shrouding his true intentions in mystery.
For now, There seem to be three likely scenarios for how the tension can develop: the first is an invasion of Ukraine.
The second would have to do with helping the separatists so that Moscow can expand its zone of influence in Eastern Europe.
By the way, the people’s republics of Donetsk and Luhansk on Wednesday asked Russian President Vladimir Putin for help to “repel Ukraine’s military aggression”.
The third scenario has to do with reaching a negotiation to set up a new geopolitical board in the area. At that point, Russia has asked NATO to stop expanding its influence in the sphere of the former Soviet republics.
for now, the most likely scenario for most western governments is that of an attack.
Defense Department spokesman John Kirby told a news conference that Moscow has sent additional troops to the Donetsk area in eastern Ukraine and that these troops have not advanced beyond this area.
(Also read: How much of an effect will Western sanctions have on Russia?)
“We can’t be very specific about the number or what kind of formations they have there, or their capabilities, but we really believe that’s happening,” Kirby said. The official added that the United States suspects that Russia will take some kind of action soon.
“What we see is that Russian forces have continued to concentrate closer to the border and are in an advanced stage of preparation to act or carry out military action in Ukraine,” he stressed.
In the midst of this panorama, Ukraine declared a state of national emergency in Parliament on Wednesday and mobilized the country’s reservists in the face of the possibility that Putin, who defies Western sanctions, orders an invasion of the country.
These moves prepare the Ukrainians for an eventual invasion by Russia. In fact, the president of Ukraine, Volodimir Zelensky, said on Wednesday that there are around 200,000 Russian soldiers on his borders.
In addition, Kiev called for another meeting of the UN Security Council and asked Moscow and the West for guarantees for its security in the face of the threat.
(In other news: Ukraine will send more police units to the conflict zone with Russia)
For his part, UN Secretary General António Guterres said Wednesday that the world is facing “a moment of danger” and denounced the “violations of the territorial integrity and sovereignty” of Ukraine.
Washington and its Western allies imposed sanctions on Tuesday in response to the recognition of the separatists (something that intensified tensions) against whom Kiev has been fighting for eight years, a conflict that has left more than 14,000 dead.
However, the United States continued this Wednesday to tighten its siege against Moscow. The president of the United States, Joe Biden, announced sanctions against companies that have participated in the construction of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline.
Biden reported in a statement that the sanctions affect the company in charge of the construction and operation of the gas pipeline, Nord Stream 2 AG, and that it is registered in Switzerland.
That Swiss company is owned by the Russian energy giant Gazprom, so Biden’s sanctions are aimed directly against that Russian entity.
For years, the United States had opposed the construction of Nord Stream 2 on the grounds that it would increase Europe’s dependence on Russian gas.
Many fear that the crisis could lead to the worst conflict in Europe since 1945, when World War II ended. A Russian offensive could spark a “new refugee crisis” with up to 5 million people displaced, the US ambassador to the UN in New York warned on Wednesday.
Russia, meanwhile, has begun evacuating its diplomatic staff from Ukraine and the Russian flag no longer flies over its embassy in Kiev.
INTERNATIONAL WRITING
*With information from AFP and Efe
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