Former US Ambassador to Russia: There is no indication that Putin will stop aggression against Ukraine

There is no indication that Russian President Vladimir Putin will stop the aggression against Ukraine despite recent talks with world leaders, said a former US ambassador to Russia.

“There is absolutely no indication that Putin has stopped going to war, his readiness for war,” Michael McFaul, who is now director of the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies, told CNBC.

“All indications are that it continues to strengthen its border forces against Ukraine,” he said.

It is noted that Russian troops have been concentrated along the country’s border with Ukraine for months, raising fears that Moscow may invade Ukraine, something the Kremlin has repeatedly denied.

Meanwhile, White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said Sunday that the Kremlin has stepped up its military reinforcements in recent days.

The United States has previously said that Russia could plot an attack from Ukraine as a pretext to invade the country.

McFaul said such actions were a “good tactic” by Russia and were not new, and noted that US warnings were “credible”, although Moscow had denied the allegations.

Uncertainty

However, McFaul said that no one knows what will happen next in the tensions between Russia and Ukraine or how Moscow will react to US and Western sanctions.

“I do not think anyone knows. I think there is a lot of uncertainty right now,” he said.

This is partly due to the fact that the Russian leader is “isolated”, he added. “Putin is so isolated, even in his own country. He rarely talks to advisers,” McFaul said.

Source: Capital

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