Putin’s threat to West: Stay out!
US warships head to Black Sea as tensions escalate
RUSSIA yesterday issued a fearsome warning to the West to stay away from Crimea ‘for its own good’ as it continued its dramatic push of military forces around the region.
The chilling threat came as President Vladimir Putin and US counterpart Joe Biden shared an emergency phone call in a bid to prevent war.
President Biden called on Russia to ‘de-escalate tensions’ and reaffirmed America’s unwavering commitment to Ukraine and its territorial integrity, the White House said.
A US spokesman added: ‘The president voiced our concerns over the sudden Russian military build-up in occupied Crimea and on Ukraine’s borders.’
Nato joined those putting pressure on Moscow, ordering it to stop its provocative build-up of troops immediately and offering international backing to Ukraine.
In response, Russian deputy foreign minister Sergei Ryabkov described America as an ‘adversary’ and warned the country to avoid the Black Sea coast.
Two US warships, believed to include the USS Donald Cook, are due to arrive in the region this week.
Russia has amassed 80,000 soldiers around eastern Ukraine in the biggest movement of troops since its 2014 invasion of Crimea, triggering fears of another major advance into neighbouring territory.
Its threatening rhetoric follows increasing concerns among security experts that Moscow will launch offensive military operations and that its accumulation of troops and equipment amounts to more than just ‘sabre-rattling’.
Mr Ryabkov said: ‘The United States is our adversary and does everything it can to undermine Russia’s position on the world stage. We warn the US it would be better for them to stay far away from Crimea and our coast. It will be for their own good.’
The head of Nato, Jens Stoltenberg, said yesterday: ‘These [military] movements are unjustified, unexplained and deeply concerning... and over the last days several Ukrainian soldiers have been killed in eastern Ukraine.’
Ukraine – which applied to join Nato in 2008 but is yet to gain membership – is pressing Western powers for ‘practical’ support.
Speaking alongside Mr Stoltenberg yesterday, Ukraine’s foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba said: ‘Russia will not be able to catch anyone by surprise any more. Ukraine and our friends remain vigilant.
‘By gathering today, we try to avoid the mistake that was made in 2014 when Russia was ready to act swiftly and pursue its military goals.’
Mr Kuleba later held talks in Brussels with US secretary of state Antony Blinken.
The Kremlin has said it is not planning to go to war but that it ‘will not remain indifferent’ as it looks to protect Russian speakers in Ukraine.
The warning came as Moscow yesterday accused the US and other NATO countries of turning Ukraine into a ‘powder keg’.
‘If there is any aggravation, we of course will do everything to ensure our security and the safety of our citizens, wherever they are,’ Mr Ryabkov was quoted as saying by Russian news agencies.
‘But Kiev and its allies in the West will be entirely responsible for the consequences of a hypothetical exacerbation,’ he added.
Meanwhile, security experts are increasingly concerned war will break out after Russian television channels warned viewers that they should be prepared for a conflict.
Last night, Dr Nigel GouldDavies of the International Institute
‘The US is our adversary’ ‘Closer to conflict than we have been’
for Strategic Studies (IISS) said: ‘The gravity of opinion among those following developments closely has shifted noticeably.
‘They are more alarmed, due to the scale of the Russian military presence, the distances these pieces of military hardware are travelling to reach the region and the statements issued by Russian government officials.
‘While this does not mean there will be all-out war, we are much closer to conflict than we have been. We could be looking at both a show of strength and steps towards military action.’
Britain is sending six Typhoon super-jets to eastern Europe in a bid to deter Mr Putin from further aggressive actions while this summer the British army will deploy 600 troops, mainly from the 4th Battalion, the Royal Regiment of Scotland (4 Scots), to Ukraine on a joint infantry training mission codenamed Exercise Cossack Mace.
Since 2015 the UK has trained more than 20,000 Ukrainian military personnel in a bid to enhance their capability to withstand any further Russian advance into their territory.