“What is happening in Ukraine is not just about Ukraine” – Blinken after the meeting of NATO ministers
United States Secretary of State Anthony Blinken commented on the outcome of the meeting of NATO foreign ministers.
Blinken called diplomatic solutions to the situation around Russian aggression “still possible and desirable if Russia chooses him.” He reminded that Moscow has been increasing its forces on the border with Ukraine since March 2021.
“And how does Moscow explain these actions?” Misinformation. She says that Ukraine is provoking Russia, that Ukraine is trying to provoke a conflict, and that the concentration of Russian troops, tanks and heavy artillery is only a defense. It would be the same if a fox claimed to have attacked a chicken coop because its inhabitants had somehow become a threat. We have seen manipulations before, “said the Secretary of State.
He suggested that Russia could resort to provocations to use them as an excuse to invade “in the hope that it will be too late for the world to understand the trick.”
“The idea that Ukraine can be an aggressor in this situation is absurd. This is Russia almost all the years ago, this is Russia buying Crimea, inciting war in eastern Ukraine, failing to invade under the Minsk agreements … This is Russia constantly becoming a threat to Ukrainian democracy and again becoming an army of Ukrainian borders. All these actions are a violation of Ukrainian sovereignty and constitute security for Europe, “Blinken said.
He also questioned the Kremlin’s statement that NATO was violating its commitments by refusing to provide guarantees that would not extend eastward and endanger Russia’s security.
“All these statements are untrue. NATO is a defense alliance, it exists to defend, not attack. That is why, after the Cold War, NATO significantly reduced its conventional and nuclear weapons because it did not need such defensive positions. Since then, NATO has not strengthened its defensive position until Russia invaded Ukraine in 2014, “he recalled.
Blinken, a critic, has called on Russia to offer non-enlargement guarantees to the United States and NATO. According to him, Moscow “is trying to focus on the debate on NATO instead of focusing on an urgent problem – its aggression and sweat of Ukraine.”
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“We do not allow ourselves to be distracted from the problems, because what is happening in Ukraine is not just about Ukraine. This is part of the broader father of destabilization, dangerous and often illegal behavior of Russia, which is trying to build a sphere of influence with the former Soviet-dominated country and prevent them from realizing their democratic aspirations of fully sovereign, independent countries, “said the State Department.
He described Russia’s aggression against Georgia, its involvement in the separatist movement in Moldova, and allegations of opposition to the election (including in the United States) and the use of chemical weapons in Britain. According to him, these actions of Russia support “basic international principles”, including the principle of the right of democratic countries to choose their own future.
“These principles go beyond Ukraine and Europe, they are fundamental rules that underlie the international order that we have worked together to promote, support and, if necessary, adapt. By challenging them, Russia is trying to challenge the international system as such and destroy our transatlantic alliance, destroy our unity and elevate democracy to failure. Diplomacy is the only responsible way to resolve this crisis, “he reiterated.
Blinken also notes that NATO, as well as the European Union and the Group of Seven, are ready to impose “unprecedented” economic sanctions against Russia in the event of an escalation.
“What surprises me is that, going back to 2014, the actions are exactly what Vladimir Putin, he said, wants to avoid. Until Russia invaded Ukraine in 2014, public support for Ukraine’s NATO membership was about 25%. Now it is 60%. After the invasion, NATO had to strengthen its eastern flank and increase its strength there to protect itself from possible Russian aggression. I think, honestly, looking back and forth, this is not an effective way for Russia to achieve what it is trying to achieve, “he said.
Answering questions from journalists, the state added that he had a telephone conversation with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba before the briefing, reiterating the principle of “nothing about Ukraine without Ukraine.”
The West is concerned about tens of thousands of Russian troops stationed near Ukraine’s border, as well as at the request of Russian President Vladimir Putin that NATO will not allow Kyiv to join the Alliance.
Moscow has responded by accusing the United States of destabilizing the Black Sea and other surrounding areas and finding its relocation an internal affair.