The Secretary of State of the United States, Antony Blinken, affirmed this Saturday (02.12.2022) that Washington is prepared to respond to a possible “aggression” by Moscow in Ukraine and warned Russian President Vladimir Putin that an invasion would be answered with economic sanctions. and a reinforcement of Ukraine’s defensive capacity.
“I continue to hope that he does not choose the path of renewed aggression and that he chooses the path of diplomacy and dialogue,” Blinken said at a news conference after meeting with Pacific island leaders. “But if he doesn’t does, we are ready,” he added.
The United States threatens “severe economic sanctions”
Blinken, who this Saturday will hold a virtual meeting with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov, warned Putin that if he “decides to take military action,” the United States will “quickly impose severe economic sanctions in coordination with allies and partners around the world.”
“We will strengthen Ukraine’s ability to defend itself and we will strengthen our allies on the eastern flank in NATO,” stressed the Secretary of State, who also insisted that Russia’s growing military deployment along the border with Ukraine indicates that “the invasion may occur at any time.”
Deployment of Russian soldiers on border with Ukraine causes concern in the West
The White House denounced on Friday that Russia has already deployed 5,000 Russian soldiers on the border between Ukraine and Belarus, and that it plans to increase that number to 30,000 men, which raises fears of a Russian attack against Ukraine from the southern Belarusian border.
Tension in Ukraine has skyrocketed in the last month over the West’s claim that Russia has mobilized more than 100,000 soldiers on the Ukrainian border.