Russian troops surrounded ukraine from three sides. the russian military
activity has fueled growing concern in Washington and other western
capitals. The United States has ordered the families of all american staff
at the US Embassy in ukraine to leave the country, amid heightened concern
that russia which has mass troops on the border is about to invade.
Due to growing fears of an invasion by russia, the US has ordered the
families of all US Diplomats stationed at the US Embassy in Ukraine to leave
the country.
According to a statement released by the state department on sunday,
non-essential embassy staff can leave Ukraine on the government's dime and
all americans should consider leaving immediately.
After annexing crimea in 2014 russia's military activity has stoked western
fears that it plans to invade Ukraine. Moscow has been adamant that an
invasion is not in the works.
US citizens currently in ukraine should prepare for military action by
Russia. the US Embassy in Kiev has warned because the united states
government will not be in a position to evacuate american citizens in such a
contingency.
The United States secretary of state Anthony Blinken rebuffed calls for
immediate economic sanctions against russia in a speech on sunday, saying
that such measures would weaken the west's ability to deter any possible
russian aggression against Ukraine.
"In terms of sanctions, the goal of those sanctions is to deter russian
aggression. Because of this the deterrent effect is lost if they are
triggered now," Blinken said in an interview with cnn on sunday.
According to blinken, a significant response would be triggered if a single
additional russian force goes into ukraine in an aggressive manner. The
British Embassy in Ukraine also said on monday some staff and dependents
were being withdrawn from kiev in response to a growing threat from
russia.
"The british embassy remains open and will continue to carry out essential
work," the british embassy tweeted.
As recently as last week Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in an
interview with the Washington Post that he was in favor of sanctions being
imposed immediately.
We must act immediately, republican senator Joni Ernst a member of the
senate armed services committee told ABC News that the United States must
show strength when responding to Russia.
"Stay in reserve, the most severe sanctions," said US Democratic Senator
Chris Coons who is an ally of US President Joe Biden.
"Show resolve and determination and apply some sanctions now, we should hold
out as a deterrent the very strongest sanctions, the kinds of sanctions that
we use to bring iran to the table," he told ABC News.
Blinken told CBS News when asked if the united states hands were tied over
ukraine because of a need for russian support in negotiations to reign in
iran's nuclear program. Not at all, the first shipment of the 200 million
dollar security aid package for ukraine arrived in kiev on saturday,
according to the US Embassy.
The US Embassy in Kiev announced on saturday that part of a 200 million
dollar security assistance package for ukraine's military had arrived in the
country early that morning. The donation which includes close to two hundred
thousand pounds of lethal security assistance, including ammunition for the
front-line defenders of ukraine, demonstrates the united states strong
commitment to ukraine's sovereign right to self-defense, the US Embassy said
in a post on facebook.
The embassy noted that more than 650 million dollars of security assistance
had been committed to ukraine by the United States in the last year and more
than 2.7 billion dollars since 2014.
The United States will continue providing such assistance to support
Ukraine's armed forces in their ongoing effort to defend ukraine's
sovereignty and territorial integrity against russian aggression. As
President Biden told President Putin should Russia further invade ukraine,
the United States will provide additional defensive material to ukraine
above and beyond that already provided, the embassy added.
The announcement comes amid the increasing Russian military presence at the
country border. It reported that russian troops are now surrounding Ukraine
from three sides.
Russian army are now surrounding ukraine from three sides. At the moment
according to the ukrainian media the russian armed forces have covered the
territory of ukraine from three sides.
One side is the eastern border of ukraine. In the north the russian army is
located near the Kiev and chernihiv regions and from the south ukraine is
allegedly threatened by a grouping of the russian armed forces stationed on
the Crimean Peninsula.
Russia has amassed more than 127,000 troops in the region, according to a
ukrainian defense ministry intelligence assessment that was shared with cnn
earlier this week.
Russia has demanded that ukraine not be able to join nato, a demand that the
alliance has rebuffed. The Kremlin in response has bulked up its military
presence in the region, citing unspecified security concerns.
The us and other nations are worried that russia is readying itself for
another invasion into the former soviet nation, like in 2014 when it invaded
Ukraine and annexed the Crimean Peninsula.
Meanwhile nato is reinforcing its eastern borders with land, sea and air
forces. the military alliance's secretary general has said as a russian
invasion of ukraine appeared increasingly likely.
Jen Stoltenberg said that deteriorating security situation had led nato
allies to ready frigates, fighter jets and troops for their collective
defense.
The u.s administration was also ready to increase its military presence in
eastern europe, NATO's chief a former prime minister of norway warned in a
statement that appeared designed to further raise the stakes for the
Kremlin.
"I welcome allies contributing additional forces to NATO," Stoltenberg said.
NATO will continue to take all necessary measures to protect and defend all
allies including by reinforcing the eastern part of the alliance. "We will
always respond to any deterioration of our security environment including
through strengthening our collective defense."
The announcement was condemned as western hysteria by the Kremlin. "We see
statements by the north atlantic alliance about reinforcement, pulling
forces and resources to the eastern flank. All this leads to the fact that
tensions are growing," Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.
This is not happening because of what we russia are doing. This is all
happening because of what NATO and the US are doing and due to the
information they are spreading.
Russia's deputy foreign minister Alexander Grushko condemned the deployments
saying that the military alliance was demonizing Russia in order to justify
military activity on NATO's eastern flank.
"The language of NATO is the language of threats and military pressure," he
said. In remarks published by russian media, "this is nothing new."
