Same objection as NATO Secretary General Stoltenberg. Which today from Brussels says: “Russia retains the ability to invade without warning.” NATO has not noticed any clear signs of de-escalation on the ground, indeed the Russian troops “have increased not decreased”. “We are monitoring very closely what happens,” he added. “At the same time, we are recording Moscow’s openings to diplomatic dialogue and we are ready to do so. But we are still waiting for Russia’s reaction to our written replies sent on January 26th ».
“We will be cautious until we see an adequate reduction in military escalation by the Kremlin,” British Defense Minister Ben Wallace said today from Brussels, according to which the withdrawal of troops at the border with Ukraine announced by Moscow. For Wallace, Russia’s actions must be judged on the basis of facts and so far no “evidence of withdrawal” has been found. The minister also said that Moscow has the ability to “overwhelm” Ukraine, noting that it has a contingent of over 130,000 troops as well as a significant flotilla of landing and missile-capable ships.
Even Canadian Defense Minister Anita Anand, on the sidelines of NATO Defense Ministerial today in Brussels, said: “We want to see evidence of Russian troops withdrawing” from the borders with Ukraine. “We continue to take into account all circumstances and continue our commitment to the stability of Ukraine”.
The Russian reassurances
“I can assure you, as far as Russia is concerned, that there will be no attack this Wednesday. There will be no escalation either next week or next week or next month ”. The Russian ambassador to the EU, Vladimir Chizhov, told Welt, rejecting any hypothesis of an imminent attack on Ukraine. Chizhov then added: “Wars in Europe rarely start on Wednesdays.”
The Kremlin even clearer. “There are problems with NATO’s assessment of the situation.” Thus the Kremlin spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, says that NATO’s analysis of the movements of troops on the border with Ukraine is wrong, according to reports from the Interfax agency. The statement comes later this morning, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said the Alliance “has not encountered any de-escalation on the ground” despite Russian announcements regarding the withdrawal of some military units.
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