Last Updated on 24/12/2021 by Ulka
Russian President Vladimir Putin appears to be looking for an excuse to invade Ukraine, blaming tensions on NATO and the United States while threatening military action.
“What the US is doing in Ukraine is right here in our backyard… They should also recognise that we have nowhere else to go. Do they think we’ll just sit there and watch?” According to Reuters, Putin revealed this during a speech to Russian military chiefs on Tuesday. “If our Western partners’ confrontational posture continues, we will take appropriate military-technical response measures and respond strongly to unfriendly actions.”
Experts dismissed the claim as groundless and bordering on fantasy, and the Pentagon called it “completely false.” Russia’s defence secretary also claimed without evidence that over 100 US mercenaries were on the ground in eastern Ukraine threatening Russia with chemical weapons, an accusation that experts dismissed as groundless and bordering on fantasy.
Putin “just declared war on Ukraine (pretending it is a war against the US and its allies, instigated by us),” according to Evelyn Farkas, who served as deputy assistant secretary of defence for Russia, Ukraine, and Eurasia during the Obama administration.
Alina Polyakova, president of the Center for European Policy Analysis, echoed these thoughts, saying that Putin’s “presentation of Russia as a victim is deception.”
Polyakova remarked, “Ukraine did not invade Russia.” “In every recent battle, Russia has been the aggressor — but this serves a purpose: justifying military aggressiveness to the Russian people.”
Putin’s remarks come as Russia amass tens of thousands of troops near Ukraine’s borders, raising fears of a second invasion this year.
Invading and unilaterally seizing Crimea from Ukraine in 2014, Russian President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly accused the West of failing to follow the Kremlin’s “red lines” in the region. Since the takeover of Crimea in 2014, the Kremlin has backed separatists in the eastern Donbass region in a war that has killed over 13,000 lives. Despite evidence to the contrary, Russia insists it has no participation in the Donbass conflict.
Putin’s remarks come as Russia amass tens of thousands of troops near Ukraine’s borders, raising fears of a second invasion this year.
Invading and unilaterally seizing Crimea from Ukraine in 2014, Russian President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly accused the West of failing to follow the Kremlin’s “red lines” in the region. Since the takeover of Crimea in 2014, the Kremlin has backed separatists in the eastern Donbass region in a war that has killed over 13,000 lives. Despite evidence to the contrary, Russia insists it has no participation in the Donbass conflict.
“Over 120 members of US mercenary groups have been discovered in the cities of Avdiivka and Krasny Liman, allegedly planning provocations… To commit provocations, tanks with unknown chemical components were brought to the cities of Avdeevka and Krasny Liman “According to the Moscow Times, citing a state news agency, Shoigu said.
The Russian defence minister was basically asserting that the West was planning to conduct war crimes against Russia by using chemical weapons, which is illegal under international law.
In a tweet in response to Shoigu’s baseless claims, Michael McFaul, the former US ambassador to Russia, wrote: “These are not the words of a logical player discussing “real” security concerns in Europe. These are lies spoken by someone looking for a reason to go to war. I’m hoping everything is still bluff, but I’m afraid it isn’t.”
Shoigu’s statements were condemned as “totally illogical” by McFaul.
Similarly, Ian Bremmer, president of the Eurasia Group, said that “Putin is faking some significant rage” at the West for “pushing Russia’s hand” in Ukraine. “You’d think the conflict was inevitable and NATO’s fault if you only watched Russian official media,” Bremmer added.
To illustrate his thesis, a recent poll indicated that half of Russians blame the US and NATO for the Ukraine crisis, while only 4% blame the Russian government.
In actuality, Putin is to blame for the current predicament. His actions in Crimea in 2014, as well as his support for separatists in the Donbass, drove Ukraine closer to the West, heightening tensions with NATO and the United States, which he is now blaming on. However, he continues to depict Russia as the victim, describing NATO’s rising influence in Ukraine as a threat to his country’s existence.
Putin, according to experts, regards Ukraine, a former Soviet republic, as unfinished business. Russian President Vladimir Putin has described Russians and Ukrainians as “one people.” In a recent op-ed, Steven Pifer, the former US ambassador to Ukraine, said that Putin’s rhetoric is “utterly tone-deaf,” and that “millions of ethnic Ukrainians heard it as a repudiation of their culture, history, and language.”
Although the US has warned of dire economic consequences if Russia invades Ukraine, President Joe Biden recently stated that the US is not required to commit troops in the event of a Russian invasion.
In a call with reporters on Tuesday, US Assistant Secretary of State for Europe Karen Donfried, the senior US diplomat for Europe, warned that “if Russia does engage further military aggression against Ukraine,” “we are set to move in a dramatic way.”
Donfried stated that the US would be willing to send military equipment “in addition to” that which has already been supplied.
