The crisis between the US and Russia escalated a step further this Thursday with the expulsion by the Russian authorities of the “number two” of the US embassy in Moscow and renewed warnings from Washington that the Russian invasion of Ukraine could occur. “in days”.
An assessment made by the US president, Joe Biden, in a frenetic morning of increasingly aggressive rhetoric and diplomatic gestures, which began with the announcement by Washington of a change of plans in the agenda of the Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, to participate in the UN Security Council.
At the same time, the State Department announced the expulsion by Russia of “number two” from the US embassy in Moscow, Bart Gorman, in a measure considered “unprovoked”.
Washington is already studying a response to this action, which it considers to be another step in the “escalation” of bilateral tensions in the midst of the crisis over the Russian military concentration on the border with Ukraine.
On Blinken’s plane, one of the US officials told reporters accompanying him that the decision to stop in New York is due to “facing perhaps the most dangerous time for peace and security since the end of the war.” Cold”.
“Now, more than ever, it is essential” that Washington and Moscow have “the necessary diplomatic personnel to facilitate communication,” added this source.
BIDEN INSISTS THAT RUSSIA IS PREPARING INVASION
The US president, Joe Biden, joined the exchange of warnings in this volatile situation, insisting from the White House that the threat of an invasion of Ukraine by Russia is “very high” and pointing to the possibility of it occurring in ” few days”.
In statements before traveling to the state of Ohio, the president pointed out that Russia “has not moved its troops out, it is moving them in” and stressed that the United States has reason to believe that Moscow is preparing a “false flag” operation ( to find a pretext to enter Ukrainian territory).
However, he also answered with a “yes” to the question of whether a diplomatic channel is still possible and indicated that for this reason he sent Blinken to the UN Security Council meeting, so that he could present that option.
GRAND WASHINGTON DIPLOMATIC DEPLOYMENT
Proof of the complexity of the panorama, this weekend they will be in Europe, in addition to Blinken; the head of the Pentagon, Lloyd Austin, as well as the vice president, Kamala Harris, who will also participate in the Munich Security Conference between January 18 and 20.
There, Harris will meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and will ensure that the US is “completely aligned” with its allies in the face of a possible Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Both Washington and NATO have warned Moscow of serious consequences if it launches a new military invasion of Ukraine, like the one that occurred in 2014.
The US vice president will also meet with other political leaders, such as German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, and will hold a multilateral meeting with the leaders of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, according to a senior report. position of the White House in a call with journalists.
The United States Government warned on Wednesday that Russia is concentrating more and more soldiers on its border with Ukraine, which contradicts Moscow’s announcement that it has withdrawn several military units, and denounced the “false narratives” launched by the Russian Executive .
In recent days, the US has increased its estimates of Russian military concentrated near Ukraine to 150,000 troops, compared to 100,000 a few weeks ago, and insists that it could attack the neighboring country “at any time”.