Meanwhile, The US has presented its written response to Russian demands on
the ex-soviet country. it reported Washington has rejected Moscow's demand
to bar Ukraine from Nato, amid warnings Russia might invade its
neighbour.
The Czech government agreed on Wednesday to donate 4,000 artillery
ammunition rounds to Ukraine as the country prepares for a possible
Russian military offensive, the Czech Defence Ministry said. The Czech
Republic's new center-right Cabinet has taken a clear stance to show
support for Ukraine in the standoff.
"We have a wide scale of options from political and diplomatic support to
concrete actions such as the donation of ammunition which I see as an
important gesture of solidarity," Defence Minister Jana Cernochova said in
a statement.
The ministry said Ukraine had requested the aid to help its defense
preparedness as Russia concentrates military hardware near Ukraine's
borders. It said the ammunition was for 152mm artillery. The Czech
government has signaled support for strong Western sanctions against
Russia if it invades Ukraine.
Russia denies planning an attack but says it could take unspecified
military action if its security demands are not met. As reported, US
President Joe Biden has said that he would consider personal sanctions on
Russian President Vladimir Putin if Russia invades Ukraine.
Mr Biden said there would be enormous consequences for the world if Russia
made a move on the nation, which sits on its south-western border. His
comments came as other Western leaders repeated warnings that Russia would
pay a heavy price for invasion.
On the other hand, Russia has accused the US and others of escalating
tensions over the issue and denies planning to enter Ukraine. However,
Moscow has deployed an estimated 100,000 soldiers near the border.
The Kremlin has said it sees the Western military alliance Nato as a
security threat, and is demanding legal guarantees that it will not add
new members further east, including neighbouring Ukraine. But the US and
Allies has said the issue at stake is Russian aggression, not Nato
expansion. The Czech Republic joined NATO in 1999 and has reaffirmed its
commitment to supports NATO's stance over Ukraine.
The Czech Republic is historically, politically and in terms of alliances
on Ukraine’s side. If Ukraine needs help, we will do our best to help,
Defense Minister of the Czech Republic Jana Černochová said in an
interview with daily Hospodářské noviny.
At the same time, the minister noted that the supply of arms or ammunition
to Ukraine should be coordinated with other countries, including Visegrad
countries, Germany, Austria or the Baltic states.
As Hospodářské noviny reported, Černochová is currently negotiating with
the Czech Army Chief Aleš Opata about the possible needs of Ukraine.
Moreover, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Lieutenant
General Valerii Zaluzhnyi is expected to come to Prague soon.
In late February or early March, six members of the Czech army will arrive
in Ukraine to take part in a joint exercise Silver Sabre 2022.
According to the reports, The exercise takes place under NATO’s plan to
develop the Ukrainian Armed Forces. It is to mention that tensions between
Russia and Ukraine have escalated in the past months after Moscow deployed
over 100,000 troops along the eastern European borders. T
he conflict between the nations dates back to 2014 when Russia invaded and
annexed the Crimean peninsula. Since then, several clashes have broken out
between Ukrainian forces and Russia-backed rebels along the eastern
borders of the ex-Soviet republic.
Ukraine is counting on the support of the United States and other Western
nations to ward off a potential renewed invasion by Russia. Notably, the
US has provided Kyiv with nearly 700 FGM-148 Javelin missiles and nearly
200 SMAW-D anti-fortification weapons.
The Baltic nations earlier this month also vowed to send more Javelins and
also FIM-92 Stinger anti-aircraft systems. Additionally, Canada PM Justin
Trudeau confirmed that his country will expand its military training
mission in Ukraine to help the former Soviet nation face down potential
Russian invasion.
The United States has formally respond to Russia's demands. The United
States and NATO have both issued written responses to Russia's security
demands, as diplomatic efforts continue to find a solution to the Ukraine
crisis.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Wednesday that John Sullivan,
the US ambassador to Russia, delivered Washington's response to Moscow,
which is seeking security assurances that NATO will halt its eastward
expansion into ex-Soviet republics.
"Serious diplomatic path" to end the impasse, according to Blinken.
Concerns raised by the United States and its allies and partners about
Russian actions that threaten security are included in the document, as is
an assessment of the concerns raised by Russia and Blinken's own proposals
for areas in which the two countries can find common ground, according to
the reports.
As a result of Russia's military buildup near Ukraine's border, the United
States and Europe have raised their fears that Russia is preparing for an
invasion of Ukraine. Shortly after Blinken’s statement, NATO
Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said the alliance delivered its own
written response to Russia in parallel with the United States.
We call on Russia once again to immediately de-escalate the situation.
NATO firmly believes that tensions and disagreements must be resolved
through dialogue and diplomacy, Stoltenberg told reporters. He called for
re-establishing formal ties between Russia and NATO, and opening channels
of communication to avoid escalation.
The US and NATO have held a series of talks with Russian officials over
the past few weeks, but the negotiations so far have failed to end the
crisis.
