The U.S. Defense Department on Friday warned of what it sees as a strategy by Russia to invade Ukraine based on false attacks on its personnel.
“We have information that indicates that Russia is already actively working to create a pretext for a potential invasion, to make a move with respect to Ukraine,” Pentagon press secretary John Kirby said during a press conference.
Russian forces, Kirby added, would be initiating “what we call a false flag operation, an operation designed to look like an attack on Russian-speaking people in Ukraine, again, as an excuse to move in.”
The buildup of troops sent by the Kremlin to the Ukrainian border has created a crisis that led to talks this week between Washington, Moscow and NATO to prevent a conflict, although without encouraging results, the White House reported.
Even so, the Biden Administration insists that it can still appeal to the diplomatic track. “No one wants to see another invasion and incursion into Ukraine,” assured Kirby, who added that the detected “false flag” method is similar to that employed by President Vladimir Putin himself when he annexed the republic of Crimea, in 2014.
US. The U.S. is keeping some 200 National Guard troops from the state of Florida in Ukraine to advise and assist the Ukrainian military.
U.S. U.S. claims not to have the information about Putin’s decision to attack. “We will make all appropriate and correct decisions to make sure our people are safe in any event,” Kirby sentenced.
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