The Russian leader is worried that a US hypersonic missile will reach Moscow in just 5 minutes
Vladimir Putin has warned he is ready to take military action in response to hostile Western actions in Ukraine. So far, there has been no clearer sign that the Russian president is preparing for war, the Daily Mail reported. Speaking at a meeting at the defense ministry, Putin said Russia would “react strictly to hostile steps”, stressing that “we have every right to do so”.
The Russian president’s remarks come just days after Russia presented a list of demands to NATO, including that Ukraine may never join the alliance and that its forces be withdrawn from former Soviet states.
The Russian leader said he hoped for constructive talks with Washington and Brussels on demands for security guarantees. “Armed conflict and bloodshed are absolutely not something we would choose, we do not want such a scenario,” Putin said. He insisted that Russia’s proposals were not an ultimatum, but she did
there was nowhere to go
to give way in
connection with Ukraine
Meanwhile, talks between Moscow and Washington on the issue of guarantees have begun. The Kremlin has said it is holding high-level talks, but no agreements have been reached yet. The White House only commented that it would “discuss” the list with its allies, but added that it was not ready to make any promises, as Russia could not be allowed to interfere in the security policies of other countries.
Russian journalist Konstantin Egert commented on the unconventional approach of the Russian Foreign Ministry in publishing draft treaties with the United States and NATO. According to him, “publishing your own draft agreement before the start of consultations with the partner – this is, to put it mildly, a rather unusual move in modern diplomatic practice. And very typical for the period 1938-1941. Because, in essence, this is purely and simply an ultimatum. “
Eggert said the Kremlin was urging the West to renounce the Bucharest Declaration, which opened the prospect of NATO membership for Ukraine and Georgia. It also demands that it effectively end military-technical cooperation with Kiev and refrain from deploying certain types of weapons on its own territory – that is, in Allied countries. Statements by Russian officials have shown that Moscow expects Washington to force Kiev to introduce a special status for the two regions in eastern Ukraine, which are effectively controlled by the Kremlin. “If the conditions contained in the draft agreement of the Russian Foreign Ministry are really met, then
NATO will stop
exists as
independent organization,
and Ukraine will lose its sovereignty. It turns out that the answer to the Kremlin ultimatum is foretold: it will obviously be negative. And it follows that the Russian leadership is deliberately leading things to conflict, “said journalist Konstantin Egert.
The United States has been warning for weeks that Putin appears to be preparing tens of thousands of troops, tanks and artillery to invade Ukraine, but the Russian president insists it is only for defense. The head of the state information service Rusha Tadei, Dmitry Kiselyov, known as Putin’s spokesman, has even threatened to “put a gun to America’s head” if NATO forces are stationed in Ukraine. He warned the alliance to withdraw, “otherwise everyone will be turned to radioactive ash”.
“We need long-term legally binding guarantees,” Putin said at Tuesday’s meeting, although he warned against believing much in America’s word. “The United States is easily withdrawing from all international treaties that, for one reason or another, become uninteresting to it,” he added.
Russia “cannot allow the West” to place weapons so close to Moscow, he added. “If this infrastructure moves, if US and NATO missile systems appear in Ukraine, then their flight time to Moscow will be reduced to 7-10 minutes, and with the deployment of hypersonic weapons – to five,” Putin said.
Speaking at the same meeting at the Ministry of Defense, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu noted that
The United States had deployed
about 8,000 soldiers nearby
to the Russian borders
and, together with NATO allies, frequently flew strategic bombers near Russia. NATO’s attempts to involve the Ukrainian army in the alliance’s activities posed a security threat, Shoigu insisted.
US private military companies located in the Donetsk region are preparing a provocation with chemicals in eastern Ukraine, Shoigu was quoted as saying by RIA Novosti. “Tanks with unidentified chemical components have been delivered to the towns of Avdeevka and Krasni Liman for provocations,” he said. According to the Russian Ministry of Defense, about 120 representatives of US private military companies have arrived in the region to train Ukrainian special forces.
At the same time, Ukraine has already concentrated half of its army personnel in Donbass and is shelling militias, including using banned equipment, RIA Novosti reported.
Amid growing tensions, Washington has advised all Americans not to travel to Ukraine because of the imminent threat of a Russian invasion. The warning is contained in a travel signal issued on Monday, which raised the level of alarm for Ukraine to four – the highest scale.
The State Department also called on Americans to be vigilant over “crime and civil protests.” The recommendations state that if Americans still leave for Ukraine, they should know that in the event of a Russian attack, the US embassy in Kiev will have limited opportunities to provide consular assistance, including assisting US citizens to leave Ukraine.
– .
