The White House said on Wednesday (February 16th) that Russia had not withdrawn troops from Ukraine’s border but had instead added up to 7,000 troops to the country’s gates, heightening fears of an invasion carried out by Moscow.
“Yesterday [mardi], the Russians announced that they were withdrawing troops from the border with Ukraine (…). We now know that this is false”said a senior White House official who requested anonymity Wednesday night from reporters.
“In fact, we have now confirmed that in recent days Russia has increased its presence along the Ukrainian border by up to 7,000 troops, some of whom arrived today.”he continued.
According to this official, if Russia has said that it wants to find a diplomatic solution, “his actions indicate otherwise.”. Joining the United States and NATO, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he had seen no signs of a decrease in the concentration of Russian troops on Ukraine’s borders, saying he had simply seen “small spins”.
On Wednesday, he attended major military exercises in the west of the country and then traveled east to Mariupol, near the frontline with pro-Russian separatists backed by Moscow.
“We are not afraid of any forecast, we are not afraid of anyone (…) because we are going to defend ourselves”launched Volodymyr Zelensky, dressed in a military outfit on the occasion of the “Day of unity” which he had decreed.
While increasing diplomatic negotiations, Americans and Europeans have warned that massive economic sanctions were ready in the event of Moscow taking action, which denies any desire to invade.
During a telephone conversation on Wednesday evening, US President Joe Biden and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz agreed that “Russia must take real de-escalation measures” and “expect extremely serious consequences” if it attacks Ukraine, according to a statement from Berlin.
On the sidelines of the Security Conference in Munich on Saturday, US Vice President Kamala Harris will meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and hold talks with numerous European officials, a senior White House official announced on Wednesday.
For their part, the Heads of State and Government of the Twenty-Seven will hold discussions on Thursday on the evolution of tensions around Ukraine, before the start of a summit between the EU and the Union. in Brussels, a spokesman for the European Council announced on Wednesday.