Russian President Vladimir Putin is due to speak on the phone this Saturday with his American counterparts Joe Biden and French Emmanuel MacronWashington believing that Russia, despite its multiple denials, could invade Ukraine “at any time“.
Ukrainian diplomacy said on Saturday “at the moment it is extremely important to keep calmconsolidate within the country, avoid acts that destabilize the situation and sow panic.”
While many Western countries were asking their nationals to leave Ukraine, Russia added to the concern by announcing to reduce its diplomatic staff there, arguing that it is possible “Provocation“Western or from Kiev.
“Fearing possible provocations from the Kiev regime or from third countries, we have indeed decided on a certain optimization of the staff of the Russian representations in Ukraine“, said the spokeswoman for Russian diplomacy in a statement, in response to a media question on reduction of its presence at its pro-Western neighbour.
Telephone interviews with the United States and France
US President Joe Biden will meet with Vladimir Putin on Saturday evening in Moscow, following a phone call on Friday between their respective chiefs of staff. Another phone call is also planned between Emmanuel Macron and the Russian President.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will meet with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov. “It’s a pivotal moment. We are prepared for anything that could happen“, he warned, as the United States and many Western countries called their nationals to leave Ukraine.
“We continue to see signs of Russian escalation, including the arrival of new forces on the Ukrainian border“, White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan warned on Friday after a virtual meeting of key Western leaders. According to him, such an offensive is a “very, very real possibility“even before the end of the Beijing Olympics on February 20. But he also admits that American intelligence did not know if the Russian president”made a final decision” or not.