LAST UPDATE: 15:23
US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken changed his travel plans at the last minute on Thursday to address a UN Security Council meeting on Ukraine amid rising tensions over the increase in Russian troops on Ukraine’s border, the agency said. Reuters.
The speech of the head of the American diplomacy will start at 17:00 (Greek time).
“Evidence shows that Russia is heading for an impending invasion. This is a critical moment,” US Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield told reporters.
She added that she had personally asked Foreign Minister Blinken to address the Security Council on Thursday “to convey the seriousness of the situation”.
Our goal is to convey the gravity of the situation. The evidence on the ground is that Russia is moving towards an imminent invasion. This is a crucial moment. Today’s Council meeting should not distract us from that. It should focus on what is happening right now in Ukraine.
– Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield (@USAmbUN) February 17, 2022
US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said today that Russian troops were approaching the border with Ukraine, while more Russian warplanes were flying in the area, rejecting Russian claims of troop withdrawal, as reported by Reuters. Austin said Russia was also collecting bottles of blood.
“I was a soldier a while ago, too. I know firsthand that you do not do such things for no reason,” said Austin, a retired general. “And you certainly do not if you are preparing to return home.”
“We see them flying more warplanes and support aircraft. We see them stepping up their preparedness in the Black Sea. We even see them being equipped with blood bottles.”
Austin, speaking at NATO headquarters in Brussels, also said reports of bombings in eastern Ukraine were worrying.
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