As western countries ratchet up military preparations & create plans to protect Europe from Russian gas cuts, Joe Biden has warned he will contemplate personal punitive measures over Vladimir Putin only when Russia invades Ukraine. The uncommon threat of penalties came as Nato put troops on alert and fortified eastern Europe with extra ships & fighter jets in reaction to Russia’s troop buildup near Ukraine’s border.
Biden stated that a strike by Russia would be the “biggest invasion since Globe War II” and would “transform the world.” The president stated that he would consider including direct sanctions against Putin in a package of measures now being drafted.
Russia & Nato countries
Russia denies plotting an assault, claiming that Nato and the US actions are to blame for the crisis. It is demanding adequate security from the west, including a pledge from Nato that Ukraine would never be admitted as a member. Moscow sees the old Soviet republic as a barrier between Russia & Nato countries.
Representatives from Germany, France, Russia, and Ukraine are due to meet in Paris on Wednesday to try to address the tensions diplomatically.
To limit Putin’s most potent economic weapon, the US helped prepare for redirection of natural supply of natural gas from all across the globe to Europe if the stream from Russia is disrupted.
Officials from the United States said on Tuesday that they’d been in talks with worldwide suppliers and were convinced that Europe would not face a sudden energy shortage in the middle of the winter.
Because of their “substantial dependency” on Russian gas, “European friends” were concerned about placing the toughest possible penalties on Moscow, according to the British prime minister, who also stated that the UK would indeed be willing to dispatch more soldiers to east Europe if Ukraine was invaded.
Cost Of Aggression Would Be High
Macron stated that he would call Putin on Friday to “clarify” the Russian position. “If there is belligerence, there will be a reprisal, and also the cost would be very high,” he warned, adding that France and Germany will never quit communication with Russia
The Russian military has stated that 6,000 troops will participate in fresh military drills along the Ukrainian border and inside Crimea, the Ukrainian peninsula which Moscow annexed in 2014. According to the defense ministry, the drills will include live-fire exercises involving jet fighters, bombers, anti-aircraft systems, and ships from Russia’s Black Sea and Caspian fleets.
Ukraine’s authorities urged restraint, with defense minister Oleksii Reznikov warning parliament that such an invasion was unlikely. He claimed that the Soviets had yet to establish the fighting battle force that would be required and that “as of lately, there are still no grounds to believe” that Russia will invade anytime soon, reports the Guardian.com
