MOSCOW BLAMES THE ESCALATION OF TENSION IN UKRAINE ON THE ACTIONS OF THE UNITED STATES AND THE ATLANTIC ALLIANCE

Far from receding, concern about the situation in Eastern Europe continues to grow. NATO continues to mobilize military assets, including frigates and fighter jets, which it put “on alert” yesterday, to reinforce its presence in the region in response to Russia’s threat to Ukraine’s security. Moscow, for its part, claims to be the victim of a campaign of “hysteria” and “falsehoods” from the West and blamed the United States and the Atlantic Alliance for the escalation of tension.

Within the framework of the increase in discrepancies between Kiev and Moscow, several NATO partners announced yesterday the deployment of forces that will reinforce the Atlantic Alliance’s missions on the eastern flank. “I welcome the additional contribution of NATO forces. We will continue to take the necessary measures to protect and defend all allies, including the reinforcement of the eastern flank of the Alliance,” its secretary general, Jens Stoltenberg, said yesterday.

In this sense, the Spanish Government’s advance of the deployment of the Blas de Lezo frigate bound for the Black Sea and the announcement of sending fighter jets to support the air patrol mission, was joined this weekend by Denmark’s proposal to send a frigate to the Baltic Sea and reinforce the air patrol mission in Lithuania with four F-16 fighters.

France has also expressed its willingness to send troops to Romania under the NATO umbrella, while the Netherlands will deploy two F-35 fighters in April to reinforce air patrol tasks in the area. Added to all this is the leadership of the United States, which has approved several economic and military aid packages to Kiev in recent weeks and has made clear its intention to strengthen its presence in the region in the face of the rise in hostilities with Moscow, which has deployed 100,000 soldiers on its border with Ukraine.

In turn, US President Joe Biden, as published yesterday by The New York Times, is considering deploying several thousand soldiers, warships and planes in the area and the Baltic nations.

RUSSIAN RESPONSE For its part, Russia insists on discharging all responsibility. “The escalation of tension is due to the informative actions undertaken by the US and NATO,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitri Peskov said yesterday, describing the Alliance’s announcements as part of a campaign of anti-Russian “hysteria” “full of falsehoods and lies.”

Russia expects this week that Washington and NATO will respond in writing to its demand for security guarantees, which include halting further expansion of the Alliance, cessation of all military cooperation with the former Soviet republics, and withdrawal of troops and NATO weapons to the positions they occupied before 1997. In addition, the spokesman for the Russian presidency denounced that the Ukrainian authorities are accumulating forces in the line of contact of the self-proclaimed people’s republics of Donets and Lugansk, the entities created by the pro-Russian separatists eastern Ukraine with the help of Moscow.

MANIOBRAS ANTE IRLANDA Rusia insiste en que Ucrania debe cumplir los acuerdos de Minsk para el arreglo del conflicto en el Donbás, que incluyen la concesión de un estatus especial para las entidades creadas por los separatistas prorrusos. El Gobierno de Kiev se opone a cumplir este compromiso si antes no se retiran los militares rusos de ese territorio y no recupera Ucrania el control de la frontera con Rusia.

Meanwhile, the Russian Navy began major naval exercises in the Baltic Sea on Monday. 20 ships, launches and support boats participate in the maneuvers. The ships participating in the maneuvers will be divided into various tactical groups and will carry out anti-submarine and anti-aircraft defense exercises, among others. The naval maneuvers in the Baltic Sea coincide with other Russian exercises on its western border, such as those carried out in recent weeks with Belarus and which will last until February 20.

But the deployment of troops ordered by the Kremlin is not limited to the disputed area. The Russian naval fleet is carrying out naval exercises these days some 240 kilometers from the southwest coast of the island, maneuvers that take place in international waters but that have raised concern in Dublin.

“We have no power to prevent this from happening. But I have made it clear to the Russian ambassador in Ireland that these actions are not welcome,” his Foreign Minister, Simon Coveney, said yesterday, stressing that these waters “are also part of the area exclusive economic activity of the Republic of Ireland”.

BRUSSELS For its part, the European Union continues to support dialogue. The Spanish Foreign Minister, José Manuel Albares, stressed yesterday that it is time for “diplomacy, de-escalation, de-escalation and dissuasion.” And Commission President Ursula von der Leyen yesterday proposed a new financial aid package for Ukraine of 1.2 billion euros in loans and grants to help the country “meet its financing needs due to the conflict” with Russia. .

“The EU is at Ukraine’s side in these difficult circumstances. We remain firm in our determination,” said Von der Leyen, who called on the Council and Parliament to speed up the green light for aid and be able to send it as soon as possible.

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