Just a few days ago, President Vladimir Putin has made his speech regarding the independence of east Ukraine. He also deployed Russian troops to these “independent” states for “peacekeeping” missions. However, the Ukrainian President did not acknowledge any of it saying their borders stay the same.

President Joe Biden announced its “first tranche” of sanctions. This includes two large financial institutions, Russian sovereign debt, and Russian elites and family members. They will be “cut off Russia’s government from Western finance.”

Additional US troops will also be deployed to strengthen the US allies on the Baltic nations. He did clarify that the troops will not be there to fight Russia.

“The United States and our allies and partners remain open to diplomacy if it is serious,” he said. “When all is said and done, we’re going to judge Russia by its actions, not its words.”
President Biden would still like to proceed with diplomatic solutions to the ongoing issues. He was also open to sharing his perspective regarding the acknowledgment of independence. He believes that Moscow was planning to redraw borders which violates international laws.

“Who in the Lord’s name does Putin think gives him the right to declare new so-called countries on territory that belonged to his neighbors? This is a flagrant violation of international law and demands a firm response from the international community,” Biden said.

He viewed it as a beginning of an invasion so de does believe it is also the right time to give a response. There has been no additional response from Russia after President Putin’s speech.

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Russia orders troops to move in for peacekeeping missions in eastern Ukraine. President Vladimir Putin signed decrees for Russia-backed regions’ declaration of independence. Separatist-held eastern Ukraine is known to be backed by Moscow and could mark the beginning of the invasion.

The decrees that were signed recognize Donetsk People’s Republic and Luhansk People’s Republic (DPR and LPR). Both are independent states in the Donbas region of Ukraine. The decree also guarantees that Russian Troops will defend them.

Many US government officials stated that this could be the beginning of a huge military attack.

Vladimir Putin has made a speech on Monday regarding the Ukrainian Socialist Soviet Republic. He called the eastern part of Ukraine, “ancient Russian lands.”

“Russia has always tried to resolve all conflicts by peaceful means. Nevertheless, the Kyiv authorities conducted two punitive operations in these territories [Donetsk and Luhansk], and it seems that we are now witnessing an escalation for the third time,” Putin said.

Zelensky Remains Steadfast

President Zelensky of Ukraine does not recognize these declarations of independence. He added that Russia has violated Ukraine’s “national integrity and sovereignty” and their borders will “remain as such”. “We are on our land, we are not afraid of anything and anyone. We don’t owe anything to anyone, and we will not give away anything to anyone. And we are confident of this,” Zelensky said.

Ukraine has begun the meeting for the Normandy Four which includes Germany, Russia, and France.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken backed the Ukrainian government recognizing this move as an attack on sovereignty. US President Joe Biden signed an executive decree prohibiting any investment, trade, and financing on the ‘Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics.’

Both President Putin and President Biden have agreed to meet “in principle” to talk about deescalating the issue. Among the points, Russia is demanding is not to allow Ukraine to join NATO. The reason was to avoid NATO spreading its foothold at the Russian borders.

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Joe Biden and Vladimir Putin agree to meet if Russia does not attack Ukraine. The White House announced that the US president will attend the French-brokered summit. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov will meet on February 24. They will be discussing the details in advance.

“We are always ready for diplomacy. We are also ready to impose swift and severe consequences should Russia instead choose war. And currently, Russia appears to be continuing preparations for a full-scale assault on Ukraine very soon,” Press Secretary John Psaki said.

The summit was proposed by French President Emmanuel Macron. He talked to both President Joe Biden and President Vladimir Putin back-to-back. His efforts are towards exploring every available pathway to avoid conflict.

“President Biden is prepared to engage President Putin at any time, in any format, if that can help prevent a war,” according to Blinken.

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson expressed his opinion. He said that Russia is planning “the biggest war in Europe since 1945.”

“I’m afraid to say, that the plan that we’re seeing, is for something that could be really the biggest war in Europe since 1945,” he said. He added that “people need to understand that the sheer cost in human life that could entail not just for Ukrainians, but also for, for Russians and for young Russians.”

Satellite Images

Maxar has also released additional satellite photos showing that Russian troops are mounting and moving into position. “Multiple new field deployments of armored equipment and troops have been observed northwest of Belgorod and near Soloti and Valuyki, Russia “. These are places 35 kilometers away from the border.

“This new activity represents a change in the pattern of the previously observed deployments of battle groups (tanks, armored personnel carriers, artillery, and support equipment). Until recently, most of the deployments had been seen primarily positioned at or near existing military garrisons and training areas. Today (Sunday) most of the combat units and support equipment at Soloti have departed and extensive vehicle tracks and some convoys of armored equipment are seen throughout the area. Some equipment has also been deployed east of nearby Valuyki, Russia in a field approximately 15 kilometers north of the Ukraine border,” Maxar noted.

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Joe Biden says Russia will invade. “As of this moment, I am convinced he’s made the decision,” Biden said during his speech at the White House. He also added that they believe they will attack “in the coming week” or sooner. The target will be the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv. He did emphasize that there is still room for diplomacy.

Biden will gather the national security team over the weekend and monitor any progress during the weekend. He will also remain in close contact with world leaders. His administration has disclosed several intelligence details on Russian troop movements. The reason he chose to do it is to say it “loudly and repeatedly, to remove any reason that Russia may give to justify invading Ukraine and prevent them from moving.”

Russia Refutes the Claims

“Make no mistake. If Russia pursues its plans, it will be responsible for a catastrophic and needless war of choice,” he added.

Mara Zakharova, Russian foreign ministry spokesperson denied the claims Biden made. “The American president also repeated the unsubstantiated thesis about Russia’s alleged attempts to ‘attack’ Ukraine, threatening Moscow with sanctions in the event of an escalation. The Russian Federation categorically denies such statements and escalation plans attributed to it,” the Russian news agency said.

It is up to Ukraine

Biden stated that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky must decide whether or not to attend the security summit in Germany this weekend. On Saturday, Vice President Kamala Harris is slated to meet with Zelensky at the conference.

The US also released a statement regarding the recent cyber attacks on the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense and two banks. “We believe that the Russian government is responsible for widescale cyberattacks on Ukrainian banks this week. We have technical information that links the Russian Main Intelligence Directorate, or GRU, as known GRU infrastructure was seen transmitting high volumes of communication to Ukraine based IP addresses and domains,” said Anne Neuberger, deputy national security advisor for cyber and emerging technology.

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“We cannot perfectly predict the day, but we have now been saying for some time that we are in the window, and an invasion could begin, a major military action could begin by Russia in Ukraine any day now — that includes this coming week, before the end of the Olympics,” Sullivan said on an interview with CNN.

“The way they have built up their forces, the way they have maneuvered things in place, makes it a distinct possibility there will be major military action very soon. And we are prepared to continue to work on diplomacy, but we are also prepared to respond in a united and decisive way with our allies and partners should Russia proceed.”

In a call between the US and Ukraine, Biden vowed that the US will respond “swiftly and decisively” should Russia attack.

“President Biden made clear that the United States would respond swiftly and decisively, together with its allies and partners, to any further Russian aggression against Ukraine. The two leaders agreed on the importance of continuing to pursue diplomacy and deterrence in response to Russia’s military build-up on Ukraine’s borders,” according to the White House.

Ukraine also called for an urgent meeting with Russia for the next 48 hours. They are hoping to understand the reason for the buildup of troops. Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said Russia did not respond to the request. This has prompted the west to speculate that there is an invasion. Russia continuously denied any plans of invasion.

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Ukraine situation “could go crazy quickly”. President Joe Biden addressed Americans living in Ukraine. He urged them to leave the country as things could go out of hand in the next few days.

“American citizens should leave now,” President Biden said. It’s not like we’re dealing with a terrorist organization. We’re dealing with one of the largest armies in the world. It’s a very different situation and things could go crazy quickly.” He is referring to Russia continuing to build up troops along the Ukrainian border. He also said that “there’s not” a situation where he will be sending US troops to rescue Americans in Ukraine. That’s a world war when Americans and Russia start shooting at one another.”

Biden also commented on President Vladimir Putin. He said if he [President Putin]  is “foolish enough to go in, he’s smart enough not to … do anything that would negatively impact on American citizens.”

Troop Build Up

The White House approved for 2,000 US troops in Poland to help Americans exit if the Ukraine situation gets worse. The US forces from the 82nd Airborne Division are not authorized to enter Ukraine. They will only be situated in Poland to assist Americans to evacuate. Part of the plan is to build a processing area and shelters for Americans in transit.

The US State Department also issued a warning for those who are planning to travel to Ukraine. “Due to the increased threats of Russian military action,” Americans should not travel to Ukraine. Also, those in Ukraine must depart immediately. They announced that Americans should “be aware that the US government will not be able to evacuate US citizens in the event of Russian military action anywhere in Ukraine.”

Currently, the US government estimates that there are 100,000 Russian troops near the border. Thousand of them were just added this week.

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A recent statement by President Vladimir Putin claims that the west is simply hyping up the situation. He further claims that the west is pushing them to an armed conflict. This comes as the controversy of having some 100,000 Russian troops gather along the border.

There will be about 2000 US troops to be deployed in Germany and Poland. About 1000 troops currently in Germany will be deployed to Romania. Pentagon claims that they are there to protect not to fight in Ukraine. They will simply help defend US allies.

“It’s important that we send a strong signal to Mr Putin and, frankly, to the world that NATO matters to the United States and it matters to our allies,” Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said.

Pentagon also seems to back the contents of the leaked letter regarding the diplomatic talks. A story from a Spanish news media claim that they have information on the contents of the letter. In the talks between USA and Russia, they are moving to have trust-building measures. One of them is to cut back on the use of nuclear weaponry.

In a discussion between the UK, Ukraine, and the Russian leader on Wednesday, concerns were raised. Johnson stated that all European democracies have the right to join NATO. Putin answered that the west is pushing him to go on an armed conflict with Ukraine. He also stated that Ukraine violated the Minsk agreement. President Putin went further to say that this was a political move to force sanctions against Russia.

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As the Russian troops gather at Ukraine’s border, the USA and NATO allies are on high alert for any signs of aggression. One of the most feared options is a nuclear attack which could be very devastating. In the middle of the stand-off, both parties have agreed to communicate through letters.

“The document we’ve delivered includes concerns of the United States and our allies and partners about Russia’s actions that undermine security, a principled and pragmatic evaluation of the concerns that Russia has raised, and our proposals for areas where we may be able to find common ground,” Blinken said.

The central demand of President Vladimir Putin is not to let Ukraine join NATO. This is against NATO’s open-door policy which allows any country to join the alliance.

“We make clear that there are core principles that we are committed to uphold and defend, including Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, and the right of states to choose their security arrangements and alliances,” Blinken said.

The US still hopes for a diplomatic way of resolving this issue. The stand-off has been going on for weeks and the world watches with growing concern.

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Pentagon spokesperson announced  “The United States has taken steps to heighten the readiness of its forces at home and abroad, so they are prepared to respond to a range of contingencies, including support to the NATO response force if it is activated.” The current NATO response is composed of 40,000 multi-national troops. They also added that “in the event of NATO’s activation of the NRF or a deteriorating security environment, the United States would be in a position to rapidly deploy additional brigade combat teams, logistics, medical, aviation, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, transportation and additional capabilities into Europe,”

A meeting was held by the US, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, the United Kingdom, and the European Union leaders. After the meeting, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg announced, “We agree that any further aggression by Russia against Ukraine will have severe costs.”

UK and US continue to reduce staff from their respective embassies in Kyiv. This is a precaution in case Russia plans to invade the country. Both sides are currently on a stand-off. They are both waiting for the first one to move. It is noted that this has been the closest the EU and USA have been to war with Russia in decades.

Stay tuned for updates on USA troops’ status in Ukraine.

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