ON THE BRINK!
World moves closer to war as Biden puts troops on alert
US PRESIDENT Joe Biden has said there is “total unanimity” with European leaders over Russia’s troop build-up on its border with Ukraine.
In crisis talks, Western powers agreed to “unprecedented” sanctions against Russia if it were to invade.
The US has also put 8,500 troops on alert, which Russia said caused it “great concern”. It denies having any plans for an invasion.
However some 100,000 Russian soldiers have been deployed on Ukraine’s border by Russia’s President Putin.
Joining the US and UK in Monday’s talks were the leaders of France, Germany, Italy, Poland and the EU. The head of NATO, Jens Stoltenberg dialled in.
Unity
“I had a very, very, very good meeting – total unanimity with all the European leaders,” Mr Biden said afterwards.
A Downing St spokesperson said the leaders “agreed on the importance of international unity in the face of growing Russian hostility”.
Should a Russian incursion into Ukraine happen, they agreed that “allies must enact swift retributive responses including an unprecedented package of sanctions”.
The aim of the 80-minute call between the allies was to agree on a common strategy against Russia’s actions, after rows over how Western nations were responding.
Boris Johnson warned that “gloomy” intelligence suggests Russia is planning a lightning raid on the Ukrainian capital, Kiev, and the UK started withdrawing some staff from its embassy there.
The US took a similar move, by ordering relatives of its embassy staff to leave.
But EU staff are to stay in place, with foreign policy chief Josep Borrell saying he would not “dramatise” the tensions.
There have been differences on the support given to Ukraine – the US and UK are among the nations to have sent military aid.
However Germany refused Ukraine’s request for defensive weapons, and will instead send medical aid, German Defence Minister Christine Lambrecht told local media.
The Pentagon says 8,500 combat-ready US troops are on alert. But they would only be deployed if the NATO alliance activates a rapid-reaction force, “or if other situations develop”, said Pentagon press secretary John Kirby.
There are no plans to deploy to Ukraine itself, he added.
Some NATO members, including Denmark, Spain, France and the Netherlands, are already planning to send fighter jets and warships to eastern Europe.
Expansion
Over the weekend, some 90 tonnes of US “lethal aid” including ammunition for “front-line defenders” arrived in Ukraine.
The Kremlin sees NATO as a security threat, and is demanding legal guarantees that the alliance will not expand further east, including into neighbouring Ukraine. But the US has said the issue at stake is Russian aggression, not NATO expansion.