Secretary of State Antony Blinken has urged for a diplomatic resolution to the escalating tensions surrounding the 'deeply troubling' build-up of 100,000 Russian troops on Ukraine's border in a call to Moscow's foreign minister.
Blinken spoke to his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov today and stressed the 'unshakeable' U.S. commitment to Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity amid growing fears Russia is set to invade.
The Secretary of State is flying to Kyiv later today on a hastily arranged trip to show U.S. support following inclusive diplomatic talks between Moscow and the West in Europe last week that failed to resolve stark disagreements over Ukraine and other security matters.
Those diplomatic meetings appear to have increased fears of a Russian invasion, and the Biden administration has accused Russia of preparing a 'false flag operation' to use as a pretext for intervention. Russia has angrily denied the charge.
It comes as Moscow officials said Russia is sending troops from the country's far east to Belarus for major war games in a deployment further beefing up Russian military assets near Ukraine.
The State Department said Blinken has spoken to Lavrov over the phone today in an attempt to quell the escalating tensions.
Spokesperson Ned Price said: 'The Secretary stressed the importance of continuing a diplomatic path to de-escalate tensions surrounding the deeply troubling Russian military build-up in and near Ukraine.
'The Secretary reiterated the unshakeable U.S. commitment to Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity and underscored that any discussion of European security must include NATO Allies and European partners, including Ukraine.'
Lavrov, meanwhile, reaffirmed that Russia expects a quick Western answer to its demand for security guarantees that would preclude NATO's expansion to Ukraine and limit its presence in Eastern Europe.
He urged Blinken 'not to spread speculation about the alleged `Russian aggression' being prepared,' the Russian Foreign Ministry said in its readout of the call.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken (pictured on December 21) will visit Ukraine as tensions between the U.S. and Russia escalate over a possible Russian invasion of its neighbor
Blinken spoke to his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov today and stressed the 'unshakeable' U.S. commitment to Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity amid growing fears Russia is set to invade
Blinken will arrive in Kyiv today and he will meet with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba on Wednesday before flying to Berlin on Thursday.
In Berlin, Blinken will meet with his German, British and French counterparts to discuss a possible response to any Russian military action.
A statement issued today by the State Department said that: 'The Secretary's travel and consultations are part of the diplomatic efforts to de-escalate the tension caused by Russia's military build-up and continued aggression against Ukraine.'
Russia has massed some 100,000 troops with tanks and other heavy weapons on its own soil near the Ukrainian border in what many observers believe may be preparation for an invasion.
On Monday, Russia's top diplomat rejected the U.S. allegations that it was preparing a pretext to invade Ukraine. Speaking to reporters, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov dismissed the U.S. claim as 'total disinformation.'
Lavrov reaffirmed that Russia expects a written response this week from the U.S. and its allies to Moscow's request for binding guarantees that NATO will not embrace Ukraine or any other ex-Soviet nations or station its forces and weapons there.
And Russia has also begun sending troops towards Belarus for joint military exercises and live-fire drills.
Russia has started to move its troops towards Belarus for joint military exercises and live-fire drills as fears increase of an invasion of neighboring Ukraine
Train and road convoys of armored vehicles have been arriving after president Alexander Lukashenko announced upcoming war games
Train and road convoys of armored vehicles have been arriving after president Alexander Lukashenko announced upcoming war games with Russian forces next month.
Russia's Deputy defence minister Alexander Fomin said the drills are intended to practice a joint response to external threats by the alliance of Russia and Belarus, which have close political, economic and military ties.
He did not say how many troops and weapons are being redeployed for the exercises.
Russia has already started transferring troops for the war games in Belarus. Fomin said it would take through Feb. 9 to fully deploy weapons and personnel for the Allied Resolve 2022 drills, which are expected to take place Feb. 10-20.
As part of the exercises to 'thwart and repel a foreign aggression,' Russia will deploy a dozen Su-35 fighter jets and several air defense units to Belarus, Fomin said.
Ukrainian officials have warned that neighboring Russia could launch an attack from various directions, including from the territory of Belarus.
The military exercises named United Resolve in Ukraine's northern neighbor are taking place at the same time as Russia continues to amass troops on Ukraine's eastern border, setting the scene for a potential invasion.
Military analysts have suggested Russia could send its forces through Belarus to stretch out Ukraine's defenses, taking advantage of their shared 700-mile border.
Lukashenko and his security henchmen have pointed to an alleged build-up of Ukrainian forces near his border, suggesting this justifies a stronger military presence.
Russian military vehicle arrives for Russia and Belarus joint military drill 'Union resolve 2022' in Belarus on January 18
Russian military vehicles arrive for Russia and Belarus joint military drill in Belarus on 18 January
The number of troops and weapons involved in the drills fall within limits that don't require notifying foreign nations, Fomin said.
The deployment would dramatically bolster an estimated 100,000 troops with tanks and other heavy weapons amassed near Ukraine in what the West fears could be a prelude to an invasion.
Moscow has denied an intention to attack its ex-Soviet neighbour, but demanded guarantees from the West that Nato will not expand to Ukraine or other ex-Soviet nations or place its troops and weapons there.
Washington and its allies firmly rejected Moscow's demands during last week's Russia-US negotiations in Geneva and a related Nato-Russia meeting in Brussels.
The White House said Friday that U.S. intelligence officials had concluded that Russia had already deployed operatives to rebel-controlled eastern Ukraine to carry out acts of sabotage there and blame them on Ukraine to create a pretext for possible invasion.
Mr Fomin said the drills, which involve an unspecified number of troops from Russia's Eastern Military District that encompasses Eastern Siberia and the Far East, reflect the need to practise concentrating the country's entire military potential in western Russia.
'A situation may arise when forces and means of the regional group of forces will be insufficient to ensure reliable security of the union state, and we must be ready to strengthen it,' Mr Fomin said at a meeting with foreign military attaches.
'We have reached an understanding with Belarus that it's necessary to engage the entire military potential for joint defence.'
Russian servicemen prepare their military vehicles to unload for Russia and Belarus joint military drill in Belarus on January 18
Russian servicemen holding a traditional Belarus' bread and salt upon their arrival for the joint drills in Belarus on January 18
Amid the tensions, Ukraine's Defense Ministry said Tuesday it was speeding up efforts to form reserve battalions that would allow for the rapid deployment of 130,000 recruits to expand the country's 246,000-strong military.
The battalions from the newly formed Territorial Defense Forces could include reservists between the ages of 18 and 60.
Ahead of Blinken's visit to Kyiv, a delegation of U.S. senators was visiting Ukraine to emphasize congressional support for the country.
Seven senators - both Republicans and Democrats - arrived in the early hours of Monday morning Ukraine time for a briefing at the U.S. embassy and meetings with President Volodymyr Zelensky and Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba.
'Our bipartisan congressional delegation sends a clear message to the global community: the United States stands in unwavering support of our Ukrainian partners to defend their sovereignty and in the face of persistent Russian aggression,' Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, a New Hampshire Democrat, said in a statement.
Russian President Vladimir Putin (pictured last week) has warned that Moscow will take unspecified 'military-technical measures' if the West stonewalls its demands
The US and its allies have urged Russia to de-escalate the situation by calling the troops back to their barracks.
'In recent weeks, more than 100,000 Russian troops with tanks and guns have gathered near Ukraine without an understandable reason, and it's hard not to understand that as a threat,' German foreign minister Annalena Baerbock told reporters after the talks in Moscow with Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov.
Speaking Monday on a visit to Kyiv, Baerbock warned that 'any further escalation would carry a high price for the Russian regime - economic, political and strategic,' and she emphasized the need to continue negotiations.
'We are prepared to have a serious dialogue with Russia, because diplomacy is the only way to defuse this highly dangerous situation at the moment,' she said.
Lavrov responded to Baerbock by reaffirming Moscow's argument that it is free to deploy its forces wherever it considers it necessary on its territory.
'We can't accept demands about our armed forces on our own territory,' he said, adding that 'troops' training is something that every country does'.
'We aren't threatening anyone, but we are hearing threats to us,' he added. 'We will decide how to react depending on what specific steps our partners will take.'
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg met with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in Berlin on Tuesday. He said 'the main task now is to make progress on the political way forward' to prevent a military attack against Ukraine.
'NATO allies are ready to meet with Russia again, and today I have invited Russia and all the NATO allies to attend a series of meetings in the NATO-Russia Council in the near future to address our concerns but also listen to Russia's concerns,' Stoltenberg said.
Russia seized the Crimean Peninsula after the ouster of Ukraine's Moscow-friendly leader and in 2014 also threw its weight behind a separatist insurgency in eastern Ukraine.
More than 14,000 people have been killed in nearly eight years of fighting between the Russia-backed rebels and Ukrainian forces in the country's industrial heartland called Donbas.
Pictured: A Russian train is seen transporting military vehicles into Belarus ahead of a series of military drills
Russian President Vladimir Putin has warned that Moscow will take unspecified 'military-technical measures' if the West stonewalls its demands.
Blinken's visit comes as 'planned' Russian tank war games shown on video and involving 2,000-plus soldiers were staged at the Kirillovsky and Luzhsky training grounds in Leningrad region.
These drills involved T-72B3 tanks, AGS-17 automatic grenade launchers, RPG-7V grenade launchers, AK-74M assault rifles and SVD-M sniper rifles, according to the Russian defense ministry.
This 'combat training' in Russia's Western military district, which borders Ukraine, involved 'methods of covert movement' in winter conditions.
This 'combat training' in Russia's Western military district, which borders Ukraine, involved 'methods of covert movement' in winter conditions
In Orenburg, special forces with machine guns on camouflaged 'Tiger' military vehicles were seen in separate assault drills destroying a mock enemy in trenches.
Elsewhere, in the Southern military district - into which annexed Crimea has been incorporated - reconnaissance troops conducted mountain training at the Darial mountain training center in North Ossetia, close to Georgia.
'The servicemen are trained to quickly navigate the terrain, choose firing positions,' said platoon commander senior lieutenant Nikolay Ivanov.
'We are improving rapid movement, and every shot is right on target.'
These war games include four battalion tactical exercises with live fire and the use of rocket and cannon artillery and aviation.
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