[Politics] Joe Biden's strong warning to Putin on fears of a new Russian invasion of Ukraine

[S e u o n g]

 

Tensions between Russia and Ukraine are mounting and, with them, the concern of the West.

US President Joe Biden has warned the country that he will not accept Moscow crossing the "red line" as fears mount that the Kremlin is planning an imminent invasion of Ukraine.

For weeks, Russia began again to gather troops on the border with the neighboring country, with whom it has been fighting since the invasion of Crimea in 2014.

This week intelligence sources leaked to the US press reports that there are fears that Russia is planning a multi-front offensive early next year involving up to 175,000 troops.

Officials have also reportedly seen an increase in propaganda efforts by using proxies and the media to denigrate Ukraine and NATO ahead of a possible invasion.

 

The US president said he will make it "very, very difficult" for Russia to invade its neighbor.

"What I'm doing is putting together what I think is the most comprehensive and meaningful set of initiatives to make it very, very difficult for Putin to go ahead and do what people are concerned about him doing," Biden said.

This Saturday, it was reported that the president will hold a videoconference next Tuesday with Putin to discuss the Russian escalation on the border with Ukraine.

On Thursday, US Secretary Anthony Blinken met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov also to discuss the issue and threatened to impose new sanctions on the Kremlin.

 

What russia says
The Russian government has questioned the invasion reports as "hysteria" from the West and has justified the troop movement over recent NATO military exercises in the Black Sea.

In an appearance on state television in November, Putin said Moscow was concerned about unannounced drills involving a "powerful naval group" and aircraft carrying strategic nuclear weapons.

In his view, this represented a "serious challenge" for Russia.

What Ukraine says
The Ukrainian government initially denied the reports of the Russian deployment, until finally the advance of the troops became undeniable and put its army on alert.

Since taking power, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky has made several moves against the Kremlin's interests in Ukraine, imposing sanctions on a powerful friend of the Russian president and banning the broadcasts of three pro-Russian television stations.

He has also stepped up efforts to get Ukraine accepted as a NATO member, which Russia fervently opposes.

 

LINK: https://www.bbc.com/mundo/noticias-internacional-59527875