Russia criticizes the West and conducts military exercises on the border with Ukraine – International

MOSCOW – With little sign of progress in diplomacy and a revival of discourse cold War, a Russia On Tuesday, 25th, it announced a series of military maneuvers in its vast territories, from The Pacific Ocean To the west side, around Ukraine, including short-range ballistic missile units. We are watching the behavior of United States of America with great concern” Dmitriy PeskovKremlin spokesman.

Maneuvers are a response to sending ships, fighters and soldiers from Otan to Eastern Europeto prevent a Russian incursion into Ukraine. The movement of troops was a means of demonstrating the formidable Russian arsenal, with tanks, drones, elite infantry and paratroopers in units stationed in the north, south and east of the Ukrainian lands.

Videos showed soldiers preparing Iskander-M ballistic missiles, short-range, unloading tanks and other equipment from train platforms in Belarus. according to Russian Ministry of DefenseThe exercises were simultaneous with the joint exercises of three Russian ships with the Chinese fleet in Arabian sea.

This Tuesday, the 25th, the US government increased pressure on Russia on three fronts. President of the United States, Joe Biden, situation 8.5 thousand soldiers Prepare for a possible move to Central Europe e oriental To bolster NATO defenses, it announced an agreement with natural gas-producing countries to meet European demand in the event of war, and struck a deal with European allies to impose a new package of sanctions on Russia.

US soldiers on high alert in Ukraine

John KirbyA Pentagon spokesman said yesterday that putting 8,500 US troops on “high alert” would be a security guarantee for Eastern European countries, which fear Russia will use its invasion of Ukraine to occupy the Baltic states or other former Soviet republics. – Moscow He treats this hypothesis as American “hysteria”.

Another diplomatic tool that Biden has is sanctions. But to improve pressure on Russia, he needs to coordinate actions with Europe. However, many European governments rely mainly on Russian natural gas imports GermanyFear of running out of heat in the home and workplace in case of conflict. This knot appears to have been untied by US diplomacy yesterday, as it announced an agreement with oil and gas suppliers in the Middle East, North Africa and Asia to supply European demand.

The United States hopes Europe will accept sanctions against Russia

The Americans’ idea is that once energy supplies are secured, European allies can embark on a tougher sanctions package against Moscow. Yesterday, US officials announced a “rapprochement” with European Union The adoption of financial measures against Russian banks can be isolated from the international payment system.

Another possibility is the imposition of new export controls that would prevent the Russians from receiving semiconductors and other key parts of the industry, especially those hampering the country’s energy sector.

“Putin’s tolerance for economic impact may be greater than other leaders can tolerate. But there is a limit we think your calculations can be affected if you exceed it,” a senior Biden administration official told the newspaper yesterday. financial times. / NYT, REUTERS, AP, WP