Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Monday called on the country's
people to raise the flag and sing the national anthem in unison on February
16, the date some Western media believe Russia could invade Ukraine.
Ukrainian government officials stressed that Zelenskiy did not predict
Wednesday's attack, but responded skeptically to foreign media reports.
"They told us that February 16 would be the day of the attack. We will make
it a day of unity," Zelenskiy said in a video address to the country as
reported by Reuters on Tuesday (15/2).
"They are trying to scare us by mentioning the start date of military
action," Zelenskiy said. "On that day, we will fly our national flag, wear
yellow and blue banners, and show the whole world our unity."
Zelenskiy has long said that, while he believes Russia is threatening to
attack his country, the possibility of an imminent invasion has been
exaggerated by Western allies, responding to Moscow's attempts to intimidate
Ukraine and sowing panic.
Mykhailo Podolyak, an adviser to Zelenskiy's chief of staff, told Reuters
the president was responding in part "with irony" to media reports about a
possible invasion date.
"It is perfectly understandable why Ukrainians are currently skeptical about
the various 'certain dates' of the so-called 'start invasion' announced in
the media," he said. "When the 'start of the invasion' becomes something of
a rolling tour date, such media announcements can only be seen as ironic."
Zelenskiy's office issued a decree calling on all villages and towns in
Ukraine to raise the state flag on Wednesday, and for the whole nation to
sing the national anthem at 10 a.m. It also called for an increase in the
salaries of soldiers and border guards.
US officials have said they did not expect the strike ordered by Russian
President Vladimir Putin on any given day, but have repeatedly warned that
it could come at any time.
"I'm not going to mention a specific date, I don't think it's smart. I'm
just going to let you know that it's very likely he could move without
warning," Pentagon spokesman John Kirby told reporters.
Earlier, Kirby said Moscow was still adding to its military capabilities on
the Ukrainian border.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Washington, which has repatriated
most of its diplomats, was moving the remainder of its diplomatic mission in
Ukraine from Kyiv to the western city of Lviv, further away from the Russian
border. He cited a "dramatic acceleration in the buildup of Russian troops".
Blinken said Washington was offering Ukraine up to $1 billion in state loan
guarantees to calm markets.
The State Department issued a travel advisory recommending that US citizens
leave Belarus, which borders Russia and Ukraine.
Russia has more than 100,000 troops gathered near the Ukrainian border.
Russia's political leaders deny Western accusations that it plans to attack,
but say it can take unspecified "military technical" action unless a series
of demands are met, including barring Kyiv from joining the NATO alliance.
Russia suggested on Monday that it would continue to talk to the West to try
to defuse the security crisis.
In televised conversations, Putin is shown asking his foreign minister,
Sergei Lavrov, if there is a possibility of a deal to address Russia's
security concerns, or if it is simply being dragged into tortuous
negotiations.
Lavrov replied: "We have warned more than once that we will not allow
endless negotiations on questions that demand solutions today."
But he added: "It seems to me that our possibilities are far from
exhausted... At this stage, I would advise to go ahead and build on it."
Western countries have threatened unprecedented sanctions if Russia strikes.
The Group of Seven major economies (G7) warned on Monday of "economic and
financial sanctions that will have major and immediate consequences on the
Russian economy".
After speaking with the foreign ministers of Russia and Ukraine, UN
Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said he still believed "from his own
analysis, his own hope" that there would be no conflict, a UN spokesman
said.
Moscow says Ukraine's attempts to join NATO pose a threat. While NATO has no
immediate plans to recognize Ukraine, Western countries say they cannot
negotiate the sovereign state's right to form an alliance.
