Russia's response to the United States and NATO has pushed the Ukraine crisis to the brink of war, with Kyiv-Russia and NATO continuing their military buildup around Ukraine, including more Russian fighter jets in Belarus on Ukraine's northern border. Ongoing Russian military exercises with its Belarusian allies have raised concerns that Russia may launch an attack on Ukraine, as it did in 2014.
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| Russia's response to the United States and NATO has pushed |
The United States and its NATO allies on Wednesday issued a written response to President Vladimir Putin's government demanding a "security guarantee", hoping to keep the crisis on a diplomatic track. Meanwhile, Holly Williams, a foreign correspondent for CBS News, said the United States and its allies were continuing to prepare for a possible Russian attack.
On Thursday, the Russian foreign minister said Putin had personally reviewed the response from the US ambassador to Moscow. Moscow's response indicates frustration, but also a decision to continue for the time being.
The Putin regime's biggest "guarantee" is a promise that NATO would refuse to withdraw troops from Russia's borders as well as accept Ukraine or its neighbor as a new member of the Transatlantic Security Alliance. Direct response to the transfer of about 100,000 Russian troops near the eastern border of Ukraine, and now north of Belarus.
The United States and NATO, even before their formal response in Moscow, made it clear that any sanctions on NATO's new members in Eastern Europe were a "non-starter", but indicated their willingness to discuss other issues, including military exercises and weapons deployment. Gave. . In this area and other "confidence-building" measures that both sides can take.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said in a statement Thursday that Ukraine's bid to join NATO was "not a positive response to the original question," but "there is a response that hopes to start a serious dialogue on a minor issue. Problem." Question. "
But despite the intentions of Putin and the French leader to continue diplomacy with the expected bilateral talks in the coming days, the two sides in the conflict continue to be under pressure.
Russia's military exercises continue near the border with Ukraine.
On Thursday, Moscow accused the United States of planning to deploy more missiles in the region. A senior State Department official warned that such a move could lead to a "new missile crisis." His warning came weeks after Russia refused to deploy military hardware to Venezuela or Cuba, echoing the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis.
Meanwhile, six American warplanes have arrived in Estonia to take part in NATO military exercises. Slovakia's foreign minister said on Thursday that NATO was considering deploying additional troops to his country. Estonia and Slovakia are both members of NATO. Estonia shares its eastern border with Russia, while Slovakia lies to the west of Ukraine.
This kind of NATO military installation - which Russia considers its own backyard - is something that the Biden administration has indicated its willingness to negotiate.
Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said in a U.S. response Wednesday that "the deployment of offensive missile systems in Ukraine, military exercises and exercises in Europe - all of which will address common concerns, including Russia's, I think." Russia's demands were handed over.
Russia has launched a military exercise with 10,000 troops near the Ukrainian border
Military units of Russia's Southern Military District on their way to a training site in the south of the country on January 26, 2022, to conduct military exercises in Rostov, Russia.
Russian Ministry of Defense / Handout / Anadolu Agency / Getty
Although the United States and its allies have insisted on their unity in the face of Russian aggression, some of these allies rely heavily on Russia for their energy needs, including Germany, Europe's largest economy. It examines the design of the alliance.
Germany is Russia's largest buyer of natural gas and has refused to send arms to Ukraine.
But Germany's top diplomat indicated on Thursday that the country was working hard to deal with Russia through sanctions with its NATO allies, at least - even if it meant finding other gas suppliers with some help from Washington.
"We are working on a strong package of sanctions," German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock told parliament on Thursday. Direct supplier of Russia to consumers in Western Europe.
The US has long pressured Germany to avoid increasing its dependence on Russian energy through the pipeline, and this appears to be an assurance from Washington - if Germany supports sanctions affecting Russian energy sales, it could help arrange alternative gas supplies - to get Berlin on board.
"Russia should choose to weaponize its natural gas by reducing its supplies to Europe. We are discussing with governments and major producers around the world how to increase their capacity," Blinken said, referring to talks with the United States on Wednesday. Allies in the Middle East have their own gas fields.
But as both sides continue to dig literally and figuratively along the border separating Russia and European democracies, the Ukrainian people are stuck in the middle.
At the ornate, golden-domed St. Michael's Monastery in Kyiv, Ukraine, where believers have been worshiping for more than 900 years, some Ukrainians tell Williams they have been praying for peace.
One woman told CBS News she hoped God himself would say something meaningful in Russia.
The United States said the ball was returned to a Moscow court once it was handed over to Russia on Wednesday. The Kremlin is expressing its frustration, but without giving up on diplomacy, it's still hard to predict what's next.
