:quality(75)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/elcomercio/52FGNORB7ZFDPACDQ3MRVVCJ74.jpg)
The tension in Ukraine worsened this Thursday with the increase in fighting in the separatist regions of Donbas, while Russia The US and the West escalated the diplomatic dispute with the expulsion of number two from the US embassy in Moscow and President Joe Biden’s warning that the probability of a Russian invasion is “very high”.
FIGHTS IN THE DONBÁS
The Ukrainian Government and the pro-Russian separatist militias supported by Moscow accused each other today of violating the ceasefire regime in the east of Ukrainewhere they have been fighting for almost eight years in a conflict that has claimed more than 14,000 lives.
LOOK: Tension in Ukraine: crossfire between the Army and pro-Russian separatists in Lugansk
The ceasefire in donbas It has been breached since it was established in 2015 with minor or major incidents.
“It is a restless day at the front. The artillery attacks have caused injuries to soldiers and civilians and caused damage to infrastructure”The head of the civil-military administration of the Kiev-controlled Donetsk region, Pavel Kirilenko, reported on his Facebook page.
- US warns of Russian provocations after reports of bombings in separatist areas of Ukraine
- What is known about Russia’s massive military deployment on the border with Ukraine
- Russia announces a new troop withdrawal from Crimea, but the West does not believe it
For their part, the self-proclaimed people’s republics of Donetsk (RPD) and Lugansk (RPL) assured that the Ukrainian Army attacked with mortar fire the vicinity of nine towns under its control, according to the agency of the pro-Russian separatists DAN. For its part, the Kremlin expressed “great concern” about the escalation in the Donbas region.
The High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs, Joseph BorrellHe assured this Thursday that “the bombardment has begun in some parts of the border” from the east of Ukrainebut stated that the EU countries will not approve sanctions against Russia until “the level of intensity of the aggression requires it”.
LOOK: Boris Johnson accuses Russia of trying to ‘discredit’ Ukraine by bombing a school
“We have had news about a withdrawal of (Russian) troops, but there is no evidence of that.“, He said Borrell after a meeting of the heads of state and government of the EU to deal with the tension around Ukraine, in which they did not adopt any decision.
“What we have evidence of and are very concerned about is the increased fighting and heavy shelling on some parts of the border.”said Borrell, who warned that “in the last few hours” they have noticed “a lot of misinformation from Russia to create an atmosphere of attacks against Russians in this part of Ukraine.”
DIPLOMATIC TENSION
Diplomatic tension between Russia and the United States and its allies rose in tone today after the expulsion of “number two” from the US embassy in Moscow, Bart Gorman, the State Department reported Thursday.
Faced with this “unprovoked” measure and the United States Government sees as a step in the “escalation” of bilateral tensionsWashington evaluates a “response” in the midst of the crisis over the Russian military concentration on the border with Ukraine.
The president of the United States, Joe Biden, also considered that the threat of an invasion of Ukraine by Russia is “very high” and pointed to the possibility that it will occur in “a few days”.
Speaking to the press at the White House before leaving for the state of Ohio, Biden added in any case that “a solution through diplomatic channels is still possible.”
The president pointed out that Russia “has not moved its troops out, it is moving them in” and stressed that the United States has reason to believe that the Russians are involved in a “false flag” operation (to find a pretext to enter Ukrainian territory).
“Every indication that we have shows that they are preparing to enter Ukraine, to attack Ukraine”added about Russia.
At the United Nations, the head of US diplomacy, Antony Blinken, denounced this Thursday before the UN Security Council that Russia is preparing an invasion of Ukraine “in the coming days” and assured that Moscow’s plans include taking Kiev and other strategic points of the neighboring country.
Blinken, who flew to New York at the last minute to attend a Security Council meeting on Ukrainereiterated the idea that the Russian government plans to find a “pretext” to justify its intervention, which could include a false terrorist attack, an alleged discovery of mass graves or even a real or fictitious attack with chemical weapons.
The Russian plans, assured the Secretary of State, then go through beginning the bombing of Ukraine and, later, launching a ground invasion that would include the advance of tanks and soldiers towards several key points, including the Ukrainian capital.
Blinken also stated at the UN that he has proposed to his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, to hold a meeting in Europe next week to prepare a summit between the two countries in order to lower the tension around Ukraine.
RUSSIA REITERATES ITS DEMANDS
While the warlike climate does not stop increasing, Russia responded today by letter to the US about the security demands that Moscow has raised to stop NATO’s expansion towards Russian borders, and warned that it will be forced to react through “technical-military” measures if it does not there is a willingness on the part of the US to negotiate security guarantees in Europe.
The letter with the Russian response was delivered to the American ambassador in Moscow, John Sullivanwho went today to the headquarters of the Russian Foreign Ministry.
In the document, Russia accused the US of not giving a constructive response to its security proposals, subverting its essence and seeking advantages for Washington and its allies.
“We declare that the American side did not give a constructive response to the basic elements of the draft treaty with the United States elaborated by the Russian side on security guarantees,” points to the text of the letter.
Moscow admits that the West is willing to start a dialogue on arms control and military risk reduction, but stresses that it prefers to find a “comprehensive solution” to the security issues it raises.
In the letter to the US, Russia reiterates that it has no plans to invade Ukraine and “never has.”
UKRAINE MAINTAINS ITS ASPIRATIONS IN NATO
The President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyreiterated this Thursday that For your country, NATO is a “security guarantee” and claimed their right to be able to choose their own alliances.
“NATO is a guarantee of security. How could we choose any other path? For us it is a guarantee of not losing our independence”, Zelensky told the BBC.
The Ukrainian president also accused “EU countries” (without citing them) of “playing along” with Russia, something that, in his opinion, is “incorrect”.
“We cannot close our eyes and say that it is only Russia that does not want us (in NATO). That is not true”, He said.
Despite everything, he acknowledged that a possible path to joining the Atlantic Alliance would be “long”, although it would not require a referendum in the country, since that will is already included, he assured, in the Ukrainian Constitution.
For Zelenski, Russia argues its fear that Ukraine will join NATO “to justify its presence on the border”, after, according to the calculations of the Western powers, Moscow has accumulated some 150,000 soldiers alongside Ukraine.
“It’s not about NATO, it’s about the future of the people (…) We only talk about our independence, about what we decide to do in the future,” he added.
THE UN CONCERNED
The UN warned on Thursday that the situation around Ukraine is “extremely dangerous” and urged all parties to resolve tensions through diplomacy, especially after reports of armed clashes in the east of the country in recent hours.
“Speculations and accusations abound about a possible military conflict. Regardless of what one believes about the prospect of such a confrontation, the reality is that the current situation is extremely dangerous.” said the head of Political Affairs of the Organization, Rosemary DiCarlo.
DiCarlo insisted that “there is no alternative to diplomacy” and stressed that all countries have to comply with the United Nations Charter, avoiding threats or the use of force against the “territorial integrity or political independence of any State” .
The American diplomat opened with her speech a meeting of the United Nations Security Council dedicated to Ukraine and, specifically, to the implementation of the Minsk Agreements, the diplomatic arrangements adopted since 2014 to try to settle the conflict in the east of the country .
Those pacts, which were endorsed by the Security Council, are interpreted differently by Moscow and Kiev and have never been fully implemented.
_____________________________________
- They kill el Koki, one of the most wanted and dangerous criminals in Venezuela
- The Playboy bunny who married an 89-year-old rich man and was left without an inheritance
- Who was the Koki, the dangerous criminal boss of Cota 905 who was shot down by the Venezuelan police
- Simon Leviev, the “Tinder scammer” accused of stealing millions from several women he met on the dating app
- Hunting Pablo Escobar’s hippos, a “necessary option” to control his invasion in Colombia
- Unusual: they find the body of an old Italian woman on a chair two years after her death
Source: Elcomercio
:quality(75)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/elcomercio/UZB52HDUMNDFVMAJO32PF4MAAA.jpg)
:quality(75)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/elcomercio/FKDH7UUV7RHKNNFEU3WXPM7T5U.jpg)
:quality(75)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/elcomercio/KNY2ASCAXRGWPGEL2ACOZATVSE.jpg)
