A Russian news agency reported a government official’s claim slamming the United States for attempting to “blackmail” Russia through “political pressure” by providing resources to Ukraine.
“Everything happening in terms of pumping Ukraine with equipment, ammunition, military hardware including lethal weapons is an attempt to put additional political pressure on us, as well as probably military technical pressure,” RIA News Agency, owned by the Russian government, attributed to Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov.
On Monday, White House press secretary Jen Psaki told reporters, “We’re pursuing a two-track approach, which includes deterrence and diplomacy.”
Last month, Ukraine took issue with the U.S.’s classification of conflict between Russia and Ukraine as “imminent.”
US TROOPS PREPARING TO HELP AMERICANS FLEEING UKRAINE SHOULD RUSSIA INVADE
But Ukraine doesn’t agree. Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Malyar said the number of Russian troops currently stationed “are not enough for a full-scale invasion,” and President Volodymyr Zelensky added, “All is under control. There are no reasons to panic.”
“We don’t actually see it as a conflict,” Psaki said, attempting to clarify discrepancies with Ukraine. “We are ready either way for whatever decision President Putin might make.”
The State Department has ordered the evacuation of diplomats from Ukraine and repositioned troops in European countries to bolster the defenses of allies in the region. The president also ordered additional troops to be sent to surrounding European countries.
Ukraine Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Oleg Nikolenko called the U.S’s move “a premature one and an instance of excessive caution.”
Multiple countries are preparing for a possible Russian invasion of Ukraine, with mixed opinions on the US’s possible response. President Joe Biden promised repercussions for Russia if they move to attack Ukraine, saying, “If instead Russia chooses to walk away from diplomacy and attack Ukraine, Russia will bear the responsibility, and it will face swift and severe consequences.”
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Sen. Josh Hawley penned a letter urging Biden against supporting Ukraine’s eventual entry into NATO. Requesting “clarity” on the administration’s stance, Hawley wrote, “Today, an increasingly powerful China seeks hegemony in the Indo-Pacific. If China succeeds, it could harness that region’s resources to further propel its rise while restricting U.S. access to many of the world’s most important markets. Americans’ security and prosperity rest upon our ability to keep that from happening, and so the United States must shift resources to the Indo-Pacific to deny China’s bid for regional domination.”
