All options are on the table to respond to the “large and unusual” increase in Russian troops near the Ukrainian border, and the NATO alliance will decide on the next move after consultations next week, said the head of the State Department US diplomat for European affairs said on Friday.
“As you can appreciate, all the options are on the table and there’s a toolkit that includes a wide range of options,” Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs Karen Donfried told reporters by telephone.
US President Joe Biden said he was concerned about the situation in Ukraine, echoed Washington’s support for Ukraine’s territorial integrity and added that he “in all probability” will speak with his Ukrainian and Russian counterparts Volodymyr Zelenskiy and Vladimir Putin.
The comments come as US Secretary of State Antony Blinken travels to Latvia and Sweden next week to attend meetings of NATO and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE). Donfried said the “large and unusual” troop increase in Moscow would be high on the agenda at the NATO summit.
“It is now up to the alliance to decide what the next moves NATO wants to take,” said Donfried. “Next week, we’ll talk about our assessment of what’s happening on Russia’s border with Ukraine and we’ll start this conversation about what options are on the table and what NATO, as an alliance, would like to do together.” she said.
US, NATO and Ukrainian officials have raised the alarm in recent weeks over what they say are unusual Russian troop movements near Ukraine, suggesting Moscow may be about to launch an attack on its neighbor, allegations Russia has rejected as foes of fear.
Asked whether Blinken would meet Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov while in Stockholm, Donfried said he had no such announcement but added: “Stay tuned.”
On Friday, US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan and the head of Ukraine’s presidential administration, Andriy Yermak, spoke in a call about their concerns about Russian military activities near the Ukrainian border.
The two discussed Russia’s “hard rhetoric” on Ukraine and agreed that all sides should pursue diplomatic efforts to ease tensions, National Security Council spokeswoman Emily Horne said in a statement. “Mr. Sullivan underscored the unwavering commitment of the United States to Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity,” said Horne.
Ukraine’s military intelligence chief told Military Times this weekend that Russia had more than 92,000 troops concentrated around Ukraine’s borders and was preparing for an attack in late January or early February.
Moscow dismissed such suggestions as inflamed, said it was not threatening anyone, and defended its right to position its troops as it wishes.
Donfried was asked what the United States saw specifically different about Russia’s troop increase this time around, but she didn’t elaborate beyond saying it was “large and unusual.”
Russia’s intentions remain murky and East-West tensions run high, with Ukraine, Russia and NATO conducting military exercises and Moscow accusing Washington of rehearsing a nuclear attack on Russia earlier this month.
Asked whether the recent escalation had led Washington to consider sending permanent troops to NATO’s eastern flank more seriously, Donfried did not elaborate on the specific point, but said that NATO’s foreign ministers next week would discuss the broader strategy for the alliance posture in the 21st century.
At the OSCE meeting in Stockholm, Donfried said, Blinken will also address the Russian occupation of Ukrainian and Georgian territories, the conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh and the crisis in Belarus.
Reference: CNN Brasil
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