LAST UPDATE: 16.42
The US ambassador to the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) has said that Russia’s military presence in and around the occupied territories of Ukraine has risen to 190,000. Russian-Ukrainian crisis earlier on Friday.
“We estimate that Russia has amassed troops numbering 169,000-190,000 men and women in and around Ukraine, up from 100,000 in the same areas on January 30,” said Michael Carpenter, at a meeting in which Russia chose not to Participate.
“This is the most significant and major military mobilization in Europe since the end of World War II,” the US official was quoted as saying by Reuters.
“Transfer of Russian forces continues”
In the same context, the US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin stated that the United States observes that the movement of Russian troops to the areas on the border with Ukraine continues.
“Although Russia has announced that its forces are returning to their bases, we have not seen it yet. Indeed, we are seeing more forces entering this border area,” Austin said after a meeting with his Polish counterpart Marius. Blazac.
“We also see them continuing to prepare, mainly” approaching the border, deploying troops and increasing their logistics capabilities, “he said.
Russia’s military aid to Ukraine continues and there is no sign of a withdrawal, a senior Western official said on Friday.
The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Russia was ready to invade at any time if it chose to.
Blinken from Munich: Everything is evolving based on the Russian scenario of provocation
US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken has stressed from the Munich Security Conference that everything Washington sees happening on the Russian-Ukrainian border in the last 24 to 48 hours is part of a provocation scenario to justify a Russian invasion as a “response”.
Speaking at the conference with his German counterpart Analena Berbock, the US diplomat noted that, contrary to Russia’s claims of withdrawal, “we see additional forces reaching the border, including leading forces, which would certainly be part of any offensive action “.
The Netherlands is sending weapons to Kiev
The Netherlands plans to send military equipment to Ukraine, including rifles, ammunition, radar systems and mine detection robots, the Dutch government announced on Friday.
“We continue to aim for a diplomatic solution,” said Dutch Foreign Minister Wopke Hoekstra. “At the same time, however, Ukraine must be able to defend itself against a possible Russian attack,” he was quoted as saying by Reuters.
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Source: Capital
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