Biden says he is making plans to block Russia’s action against Ukraine | Conflict Issues

The US president says he is making plans to “make it very difficult” for his Russian counterpart Putin to attack Ukraine.

US President Joe Biden says he is preparing a “deep” plan to make it difficult for his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin to destroy Ukraine, with the two leaders expected to speak in the coming days as tensions escalate.

The United States is planning “more and more effective measures to make it more difficult for Mr Putin to continue to do what people are worried about,” Biden told reporters at the White House on Friday.

“This is being played right now,” Biden said, adding that he had not spoken directly to Putin about the growing crisis.

US and Russian officials say talks between the two leaders could be arranged soon.

Ukraine’s Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov, citing legal reports, warned Friday that Russia has set up a crackdown. more than 94,000 troops near the Ukrainian border and is probably planning a major battle at the end of January.

The military preparations have raised concerns and warnings from Ukraine, as well as from US officials and NATO allies.

Earlier this week, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken he said Russia was considering “serious problems” against Ukraine and warned that the US would respond with a “major crisis” if the Russian government chooses a “counter-measures”.

After a meeting in Sweden with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Thursday, Blinken reiterated his warning that Russia would face “many and many” consequences if it could destroy Ukraine.

“Now Russia must escalate the conflict by transforming the now-defunct military force, restoring the military to a safer place and avoiding further threats and attempts to disrupt Ukraine,” he said. he said.

To him, Lavrov said the US had threatened new sanctions, but said efforts would not be effective. “If the ‘new punishment from hell’ comes, we will respond,” the foreign minister said. “We can’t fail to respond.”

In 2014, Moscow annexed Crimea from Ukraine and Russian-backed separatists occupied the eastern part of Ukraine, sparking a conflict that continues to this day.

Russian officials have previously said that Moscow’s entry into Ukraine is a self-defense initiative and has criticized Kyiv for seeking to recapture areas with Russian-linked militants in eastern Ukraine. Ukrainian authorities have denied the allegations.

Reznikov, Ukraine’s defense minister, said Friday that Kyiv does not do anything to provoke a Russian plot but is ready to fight if Moscow attacks.

Putin warned at a conference in Moscow on November 30 that any expansion of NATO weapons in Ukraine would be a red line in Russia. Moscow repeatedly warned West against the weapons of Ukraine.

The Kremlin said Friday that Russia and the US had a date and time for a video conference between Putin and Biden in the coming days, but that Moscow was waiting for Washington to end.

A US official did not confirm the date but told Reuters reporters that the shooting would take place next week.

Meanwhile, Biden said on Friday that he was in close contact with European and Ukrainian leaders amid diplomatic crisis as tensions between Washington and Moscow continue.

“My secretary of state and national security adviser have been very active,” he said.

Biden and Putin met in June in Geneva, Switzerland for their first private meeting since the US President took office in January. At a three-hour meeting, they agreed to begin discussions on “order stability” in order to reduce the risk of conflict between the two countries.

Biden also said at the time that he had urged Putin to respect Russia’s human rights and fundamental freedoms and to demonstrate “unwavering commitment to the sovereignty and integrity of the Ukrainian state”, among others.