The harbinger of war in Ukraine escalated due to fears of a possible Russian invasion of the country, and while American and British military aid began to reach Ukrainian lands, London accused Moscow of seeking to install a leader loyal to it in Kiev, which raised new American concerns, while the Russian Foreign Ministry described those accusations. “Blessing”.
In the latest developments in the Ukrainian crisis, the British government confirmed in a statement issued by the Foreign Office that it had information about “the Russian government’s efforts to install a leader loyal to it in Kiev, while planning to invade and occupy Ukraine.”
In the statement, British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss condemned “the scale of Russian activity aimed at destabilizing Ukraine”, and indicated that former Ukrainian MP Yevgeny Murrayev is considered a possible candidate, but he is not the only one, adding that her government has information that Russian intelligence services have links with many Ukrainian politicians. ex.
The British Foreign Office statement also mentioned the names of Sergei Arbuzov (First Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine from 2012 to 2014, then interim Prime Minister), Andrei Kloyev (who headed the presidential administration of former Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych), and Volodymyr Sivkovich (Deputy Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council). Formerly Ukrainian), and Mykola Azarov (Prime Minister of Ukraine from 2010 to 2014).
The British Foreign Office statement indicated that some of these Ukrainian politicians are in contact with Russian intelligence agents who are currently involved in planning an attack on Ukraine.
The statement stressed that London will not tolerate what it described as the Kremlin’s plot to install a pro-Russian government at the head of the leadership in Ukraine, and indicated that the military incursion would be a grave strategic mistake, and that the United Kingdom and its partners would impose a heavy cost on Russia.
Russian denial and American concern
Russia was quick to reject the British accusations, and the Russian Foreign Ministry called on London, in a tweet posted on Twitter, to “stop spreading nonsense.”
But the White House considered British accusations about Moscow’s attempt to install a pro-Russian leader in Ukraine as deeply disturbing.
In a statement to Al Jazeera, National Security Council spokeswoman Emily Horn stressed that the Ukrainian people have the right to determine their own future, and that Washington stands with its democratically elected partners in Ukraine.
In this context, the New York Times quoted US officials as saying that they believe that British intelligence is correct.
Meanwhile, the White House revealed that President Joe Biden met his national security team last night (Saturday evening) to discuss what he described as Russia’s ongoing aggression against Ukraine.
The White House said in a statement that President Biden was briefed on the current status of Russian military operations on Ukraine’s borders.
The meeting also discussed US efforts to de-escalate the situation through diplomacy, and a suite of deterrence measures, which are being coordinated with allies, including ongoing deliveries of security assistance to Ukraine.
The White House statement added that Biden reiterated that the United States would impose dire consequences on Russia in the event of its invasion of Ukraine.
Western evacuation
As the drums of war escalated, Fox News quoted US officials as saying that the US State Department had ordered the families of its embassy employees in Ukraine to start leaving the country from next Monday.
The network quoted an unidentified official as saying that the State Department is expected to start in the coming days urging American citizens to leave Ukraine using commercial flights.
Britain also advised its citizens against non-essential travel to Ukraine, and also asked its nationals in Ukraine to register their presence there, according to Bloomberg Agency, quoting the British Foreign Office.
German media reported that Berlin had prepared plans to evacuate its diplomats from Ukraine if the situation deteriorated.
As for the Belgian Foreign Ministry, it urged its citizens not to travel to Ukraine and called on its nationals in Ukraine to register with its embassy there.
diplomatic efforts
As part of diplomatic efforts, Reuters quoted a source in the administration of Russian President Vladimir Putin as saying that a meeting on eastern Ukraine will be held in Paris next Tuesday, in which political advisers from Russia, Ukraine, France and Germany will participate.
The source added that the talks will take place within what is known as the “Normandy formula”.
Mikhailo Podolyak, Ukraine’s chief negotiator, confirmed the Paris meeting, but told Reuters the initial date would be Wednesday.
military support
As the escalation continued, the US Embassy in Kiev announced that US military aid to support Ukraine to counter a possible Russian invasion had begun to arrive.
The aid includes about 100 tons of lethal weapons, including ammunition for Ukraine’s first line of defense forces. The embassy added in a tweet on Twitter that the shipment underscores Washington’s commitment to helping Ukraine strengthen its defenses in the face of what it described as increasing Russian hostilities.
White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki said that Washington intends to transfer Mi-17 military transport helicopters to Ukraine in order to support the defense capabilities of the Ukrainian army. She added that the State Department gave the green light to 3 NATO allies to expedite the delivery of anti-armor missiles and other US weapons to Ukraine.
For its part, the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense announced that it had received a second shipment of technical and military aid from Britain. Ukraine’s deputy defense minister said the aid would enhance his country’s defense capabilities and would only be used to defend against any threats that might lead to an escalation of the conflict.
victim statements
Against the backdrop of the Ukraine crisis, the German Navy Commander Kai Achim Schoenbach submitted his resignation after statements in which he said that the Russian president deserves respect, and that Kiev will never recover the Crimea peninsula annexed by Moscow.
The navy chief had apologized for his comments, which were widely reported in the German media, as a mistake. A spokesman for the German Defense Ministry also said that the statements did not represent Germany’s position as a whole.
The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry summoned the German ambassador in Kiev to protest against the statements of the German naval commander regarding Crimea. She expressed to the German ambassador her deep disappointment with Germany’s position on not providing Ukraine with defensive weapons.