Russia and Ukraine are close to opening an armed conflict, the White House said;
Images revealed Russian army tanks and trucks heading towards the border with the neighboring country;
‘No US response option is off the table,’ spokeswoman Jen Psaki said.
The White House said on Tuesday (18) that the Russia is in a position to launch an armed attack against Ukraine “at any moment” and warned that the current situation is “extremely dangerous”.
The statement came from US government spokeswoman Jen Psaki, who said at her daily press conference that, in this scenario, “no option is off the table” for the US if Russia decides to invade Ukrainian territory.
Psaki assured that the US government has information indicating that Russia is preparing to evacuate families from its embassy in Ukraine and has been doing so since late December.
Images that show the displacement of tanks and war trucks of the Russian Army circulated on the internet and point out that the US government’s warning about a possible invasion may be correct.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken traveled to Geneva, Switzerland, to meet with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavror on Friday (21) to try to defuse tensions.
White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki said the secretary will highlight the diplomatic path that still lies ahead.
“It is the choice of President Putin and the Russians to decide whether they will suffer serious economic consequences or not,” he added.
It is also worth noting that the Russia demanded immediate responses, and one of its demands is to stop the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) from advancing. in Eastern Europe.
The two representatives spoke by phone, and the Russian said that Moscow was waiting for a return on the demands presented in the Western Hemisphere. It is worth noting that the country fears that Ukraine will become a military base for US and European forces.
For Olexiy Haran, professor of comparative politics at the Kiev National University in Ukraine, Russia is just looking for a reason to start a war. He said the country’s demands are unrealistic.
Expert Anton Suslov, from the Kiev School of Political Analysis, said that Ukrainians are used to new tensions because of the eight years of war they have faced.
However, he stressed that citizens are worried about the possibility of a new tension entering the territory.
Petro Burkovsky, an expert at the Foundation for Democratic Initiatives Ilko Kucheriv believes that a Russian invasion of Ukrainian territory is imminent. The scholar emphasizes that the country itself does not deny an offensive, but that the cost will be high.
As a solution, he sees that the Kremlin should calm tensions and admit that it started the 2014 war.