Blinken says the next move is Russia’s
US sends a written response to Kremlin’s demands on Ukraine
The United States on Wednesday gave Russia the answers to its demands on Ukraine.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken said a written reply has been sent to the Kremlin. The letter, which will not be made public, “states very clearly the principles that we’re committed to and that we will defend, one way or another,” he said. The letter also includes ways the administration believes NATO can collaborate with Russia on international security “if they’re serious,” Blinken said.
Russia has demanded guarantees that NATO never admit Ukraine and other former Soviet nations as members and that the alliance roll back troop deployments in other former Soviet bloc countries, a region Moscow still views as its sphere of interest.
Blinken said the document has direct responses to Russia’s stipulations. He did not outline each reply in detail but reiterated that NATO would not agree to a Kremlin demand that it abandon its open-door policy for any nation to join.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov issued a stark warning earlier Wednesday as some NATO members have announced military movements and the U.S. has put troops on alert. Russia has more than 100,000 troops gathered at Ukraine’s borders.
“If the West continues its aggressive course, Moscow will take the necessary retaliatory measures,” Lavrov said Wednesday.
Here’s what we know about the showdown in Ukraine:
Blinken: Decision is now Russia’s
In a news briefing Wednesday, Blinken
said the letter sent to the Kremlin presents security concerns the U.S. and European nations have not just with the immediate Russian military escalation on Ukraine’s border “but more broadly in the European theater that we believe undermines security.”
Blinken said President Joe Biden was “intimately involved” in the writing of the U.S. response, as were NATO allies and Ukrainian leaders.
The secretary said the administration will not release the document publicly because “we think that diplomacy has the best chance to succeed if we provide space for confidential talks,” adding that he hoped Moscow shared the administration’s sentiment.
Blinken concluded by saying that “the ball is in their court” and that whether the Kremlin chooses “diplomacy and dialogue” or “aggression against Ukraine, we’re prepared either way.”
US Embassy warns Americans
The U.S. Embassy in Ukraine has urged Americans in the country to leave, citing the threat of Russian invasion.
In a statement on its website, the embassy called the situation in the eastern European country “unpredictable due to the increased threat of Russian military action and can deteriorate with little notice.” The embassy urged U.S. citizens to “consider departing Ukraine now.”
The U.S., United Kingdom and Canada have all urged the families of diplomats to leave the country. The move has been criticized by some Ukrainian and European officials, who called it premature.
German chancellor to visit US
Biden is preparing to welcome German Chancellor Olaf Scholz to the White House in February as the country remains at odds with NATO allies over what tougher measures to take against Russia in the standoff.
Germany has resisted calls to join allies in providing weapons to help Ukraine defend itself, citing its postWorld War II policy of restricting arms exports to conflict zones. Though Scholz and other German officials have warned of grave consequences should Russian forces move into Ukraine, Berlin’s reluctance has irked some NATO allies and raised questions about the country’s commitment to economic sanctions should Russia invade.
Kremlin denounces sanctions
The Kremlin denounced the prospect of the U.S. personally sanctioning Russian President Vladimir Putin as “not painful (but) politically destructive” rhetoric that would ultimately have no effect on Putin’s financial or physical well-being.
On Tuesday, Biden said he’d consider sanctioning Putin personally should he decide to invade Ukraine. The U.S. often sanctions senior officials or companies in governments it opposes without hurting the respective country’s public.