Yesterday, Wednesday, the United States spoke of “evidence” that Russia wanted to launch an offensive against Ukraine, threatening that it would pay a “high price” if its objectives were implemented, while Blinken met with his Russian ally Sergei Lavrov in Stockholm. Today, Thursday, when President Ukraine called on Volodymyr Zhelensky, he called for “direct talks” with Russia with the aim of “stopping the war” in the east of his country, while the Ukrainian Foreign Minister called for the imposition of sanctions on NATO countries. To prevent Russia. Russian President Vladimir Putin, on the other hand, reassured his country that it would take appropriate military-technical measures in response to what it considered to be NATO “provocations.”

Evidence for Russian invasion

“In recent weeks, Russia has intensified plans for possible military action in Ukraine, including the deployment of tens of thousands of troops near the Ukrainian border,” Blingen told a news conference after a meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Riga.

“Washington is deeply concerned about the evidence that Russia is preparing plans for major aggression against Ukraine,” he added, adding that “Russia’s plans include efforts to destabilize Ukraine from within, in addition to massive military action.”

Blingen will meet with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov after a meeting in the Swedish capital on the sidelines of a meeting of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe. The Ukrainian minister, who was present during the meeting, yesterday, Wednesday, called on the coalition to present a “blockade package” against Russia, with Kiev and the West suspecting a possible invasion of Ukraine. “We discussed concrete steps to prevent Russia’s continued aggression,” Guleba wrote on Twitter after meeting his British ally. A comprehensive blockade would encourage Moscow to take no action.

Zhelensky invites conversation

For his part, Zelensky said in a speech to parliament, “We must tell the truth, that war cannot be stopped without direct dialogue with Russia.” Zhelensky called for the unification of all political forces in the country to regain control of Kiev. NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg has warned Russia against using force with its neighbor Ukraine, and said Moscow was aware that any sanctions it would launch would be overcharged by sanctions and other measures by the West. Stoltenberg noted that the federation was working closely to protect members from new Chinese and Russian missiles that could reach Europe and North America.

NATO extends eastward

On the other hand, during the recognition ceremony for foreign ambassadors by the Russian President on Wednesday, he stressed that Moscow would reaffirm its commitment not to allow “NATO” expansion towards the Russian border to the east. He said, “In this case, we are taking appropriate military-technical measures, but, I repeat, we are not threatening anyone, they are blaming us,” he said, noting that the threats were close to the Russian border. Putin pointed out that Western nations are ignoring Russia’s concerns about NATO’s expansion to its east. Putin said Russia is proposing to start substantial negotiations to achieve legal guarantees that NATO will not extend its borders eastward.

For his part, Lavrov criticized the NATO Secretary-General’s statements on the possibility of an alliance to transfer nuclear weapons to Eastern Europe, calling them “irresponsible.”

Lavrov also commented on Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko’s statement on the possibility of Russia acquiring nuclear weapons if NATO deploys such weapons in the territory of Poland’s neighboring Belarus. “I see this statement as a serious warning to the irresponsible policy pursued by the West,” Lavrov said.