Former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Pavel Klimkin on Wednesday, January 12, appealed to the authorities of European countries with an appeal to prevent the introduction of a joint peacekeeping contingent of Russia and the European Union, which, in his opinion, could be formed against the background of negotiations between Moscow and the West on security guarantees.
“The more mess we have, the better Putin’s cards in negotiations, the better it is to tell the Europeans that only Russia is capable of bringing order. <...> Or Russia will even offer a joint mission with the European Union. I don’t even exclude such cynicism. <...> Here it is up to us and maybe even for the United States. And those Europeans who understand – to give the Kremlin a finger – will bite their heads off tomorrow. Now is the moment of truth, who is with us at the level of statements and declarations, and who is “like the Musketeers” – one for all and all for one, “the ex-Foreign Minister wrote on Facebook.
As a senior US official to CNN said earlier that day, the United States has identified a set of sanctions against Russia that could be imposed immediately if tensions escalate around Ukraine. He noted that the final package of sanctions will depend on which scenario the United States sees.
On January 12, the deputy head of the Ukrainian presidential office, Igor Zhovkva, said that the concentration of Russian troops near the Ukrainian border had not decreased. He noted that the Armed Forces of Ukraine “will be ready to fight back” in case of aggravation of the current situation, but added that he himself hopes for a diplomatic solution.
On December 25, Russian presidential press secretary Dmitry Peskov said that Russia had never attacked anyone first. He stressed that the statements of Ukraine and the United States about the “aggressive actions” of Russia are being made in order to deploy more NATO military equipment near the country’s borders.
On December 23, during a press conference, Russian President Vladimir Putin answered a question about alleged plans to invade Ukraine. According to him, such statements give the impression that the Ukrainian side is “preparing a third operation” in Donbass.
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