BBC News
January 20, 2022
US President Joe Biden has said he thinks his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin will "enter" Ukraine, but he does not want a catastrophic war.
"I think they will enter (Ukraine)," Biden told a news conference on the threat of Russian intervention in Ukraine. They have to do something.
But he warned that the Russian president would have to pay a "huge price" for the "test" of the West.
Moscow has denied allegations that it planned to invade or intervene in Ukraine, but has deployed about 100,000 troops on the border.
The White House said in a statement that "if the Russian military enters Ukraine's border, the United States and its allies will respond with a united and serious response."
Biden was asked during the conference what Putin's intentions might be. "Do I think they will test the West?" Biden replied. Will the US and NATO be tested as hard as they can? Yes. I think they will do it but they will have to pay a heavy price.
They have not seen the sanctions that I have promised in the event of their intervention," he added. Biden has said that punishment will be given according to the level of intervention.
The US president said he hoped Putin was aware that the war could spiral out of control and that there were fears of a nuclear war. They are not in a good position to dominate the world."
He also mentioned the possibility of talks with Putin.
"Russia may attack Ukraine on very short notice
US Secretary of State Anthony Blankenship has said that Russia could attack Ukraine on "very short notice". He warned that doing so could lead to tougher sanctions on Russia.
They were talking during a visit to Kiev, the capital of Ukraine.
Russia and Ukraine have been at loggerheads over Crimea since 2014, and pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine are fighting Ukraine.
Russia invaded and occupied the Crimean peninsula after the fall of the pro-Russian government in 2014.
Russia has also been increasing its military deployments along Ukraine's borders for the past several months.
Stressing the "close ties" between the United States and Ukraine, Blankenship said "aggressive" diplomacy would be used to prevent Russian aggression.Moscow has denied any involvement in the attack.
Russia has made several demands of Western governments, one of which is that Ukraine should not be included in NATO.
Russia has also demanded that NATO member states, including Poland, limit military activity.
It is now feared that the latest situation will once again fuel the conflict that has so far claimed 13,000 lives and nearly 2 million who have been displaced.
Antony Blanken said Russia had deployed troops on Ukraine's borders "without provocation and without reason".
US Secretary of State Anthony Blanken (right) with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky
We know that there are plans to increase these forces on very short notice, which will give President Putin the ability to take more aggressive measures against Ukraine on very short notice."
He accused Russia of undermining Ukraine's democratic institutions and dividing Ukrainian society, "through everything from election interference to fake information and cyber attacks."
He said "aggressive diplomatic efforts will be made to stop the latest aggression and promote dialogue and peace." At the same time, he warned of tougher sanctions on Russia in the event of an attack.
It should be noted that after talks with European allies in Berlin on Friday, Anthony Blanken will meet with the Russian Foreign Minister in Geneva.
Presentational gray line
Analysis: Anthony Zercher, Correspondent for North America
It is said that a picture is worth a thousand words.So on the day the White House warned that a Russian invasion of Ukraine could happen "at any time," US Secretary of State Anthony Blanken traveled about 8,000 kilometers to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and the two countries. Repeat the relationship between
He warned Russian President Vladimir Putin that military action would have dire consequences. At the same time, he promised to continue defense and financial assistance to Ukraine.
Since there is evidence that Russia is conducting a misleading campaign to convince Eastern European countries that the United States has abandoned them, citing the US withdrawal from Afghanistan, senior Ukrainian officials have called for such a supportive move. What is welcome
On the other hand, life on the streets of Kiev is normal. People were taking pictures of Anthony Blanken as his convoy drove through the icy streets.
Despite reports of an increase in the deployment of Russian troops on the country's borders, there is no sign of chaos or unnecessary concern.
Only time will tell whether this is a steely commitment to the difficulties ahead or a gross negligence.
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov, who led the Russian delegation to the recent talks with the United States in Geneva, said his country had "no intention of taking any aggressive action."
He said in a meeting in Moscow that he would not invade Ukraine.
But he also said the United States could not force Moscow to withdraw its troops from Ukraine's borders.
They are on our soil and we will not change their movements due to foreign pressure."
Ukrainian troops are training ahead of a conflict with Russia in December
Sergei Ryabkov called on Washington to suspend military support for Ukraine.
He said it posed a direct threat to Russian security.
Anthony Blankenship's visit to Kiev was described as an attempt to "reaffirm America's commitment to Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity."
On Thursday, he will meet with the German, French and British foreign ministers in Berlin.
German Foreign Minister Annalina Byrbok also visited Moscow on Tuesday.
He said any further military action would be "economically, politically and strategically costly" for the Russian government.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Oleksiy Reznikov has called on Western governments to impose immediate sanctions on Moscow.
Speaking on the BBC's Hard Talk program, he warned that a Russian invasion of his country could lead to bloodshed and mass exodus to Europe.
British-supplied light anti-tank missiles also arrived in Ukraine on Tuesday. British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace said there was a "legitimate and real concern" that Russian troops could be used in the attack.
