UPDATE (February 27, 2022): Despite these previous claims by top Ukrainian government officials, Russia launched a military invasion of Ukraine on February 24.
(Se puede leer este artículo en español aquí.)
Ukraine’s defense minister, Oleksii Reznikov, has argued that Russia does not have plans to invade, telling his country’s parliament that “as of today, there are no grounds to believe” Moscow will soon attack.
While top leaders inside Ukraine are stating this clearly, and calling for calm, the United States, Britain, and some European Union member states are threatening war over claims that Russia is preparing an invasion.
Top corporate media outlets have helped fan the flames of war.
Citing anonymous US intelligence officials, CNN published an elaborate conspiracy theory, claiming Moscow is planning to attack Russian-speakers in eastern Ukraine in a “false-flag operation” to justify an invasion. The network did not provide a shred of evidence to bolster this extraordinary accusation.
The British government has, likewise without any proof, accused Russia of planning to invade Ukraine to install a “puppet” regime.
But decision-makers actually in Ukraine think that this is mostly just propaganda, and argue Moscow is not planning on an offensive operation.
The Associated Press acknowledged this in a largely overlooked January 25 article, titled “Ukrainian leaders: Stay calm, Russian invasion not imminent.”
“Ukraine’s leaders sought Tuesday [January 25] to reassure the nation that an invasion from neighboring Russia was not imminent,” the AP wrote.
President Volodymyr Zelensky told the Ukrainian public to remain calm.
The withdrawal of some Western diplomats from Ukraine was simply “part of a complex diplomatic game” they are playing, Zelensky said.
The AP quoted Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov, who told parliament “there are no grounds to believe” Russia will soon invade.
“Don’t worry, sleep well,” Reznikov said. “No need to have your bags packed.”
The Ukrainian defense minister told the TV network ICTV, “As of today, the armed forces of Russia created no strike groups, indicating they were ready to launch an offensive tomorrow.”
He added that the chance of a Russian invasion during the Winter Olympics in Beijing was “low.”
US and Britain send weapons to Ukraine
While Ukrainian leaders are urging calm, some Western governments appear to be pushing for war.
The United States sent 200,000 pounds of so-called “lethal aid, including ammunition” to Ukraine, bolstering $2.7 billion in support Washington has delivered since 2014.
2014 was the year Washington and Brussels backed a violent coup d’etat in Ukraine and installed a pro-Western government – ironically the same kind of thing London is now accusing Moscow of.
The UK also delivered some 2000 short-range anti-tank missiles to Ukraine, and dispatched dozens of elite troops.
The shipment – and $2.7 billion USD since 2014 – demonstrates U.S. commitment to helping Ukraine bolster its defenses in the face of growing Russian aggression. 🇺🇸🇺🇦 #partnershipstrong [2/2] pic.twitter.com/scPFWM3we7
— U.S. Embassy Kyiv (@USEmbassyKyiv) January 22, 2022
Germany and France caution against war over Ukraine
Not everyone in Europe is saber-rattling, however. Germany and France have proven to be rare voices of reason, cautioning against the threat of war.
Germany has even gone so far as to block EU and NATO member Estonia from sending weapons to Ukraine.
And in an implicit acknowledgement that Berlin is not on board with its war drive, Britain sent weapons to Ukraine on a circuitous route avoiding Germany.
French President Macron, for his part, has called for de-escalating the situation. Paris wants dialogue with Russia over Ukraine, and has offered to host talks to discuss it.
Macron was just inaugurated as president of the Council of the European Union, giving his words extra import.
Berlin and Paris are concerned about the serious damage such a conflict could do to European economies, which are very much integrated with Russia.
Europe still heavily relies on Russian gas and oil imports. Moscow remains the single biggest energy exporter to the EU.
Editor’s note: This article was updated on February 27 to reflect the Russian invasion of Ukraine that began on February 24.
Mcberg
2022-01-26 at 17:55
Us and her pawns doesnt care if Russia wins or not, they just want to inflict economic pain to Russian government after war breaks out.
Paul O.
2022-01-30 at 09:01
I am always stunned at the fact that the two biggest countries in the EU have time and again shown that at the end of the day Europe needs Russian gas and yet the rest of Europe still plays this game of “hate the russkies” and keeps shooting themselves in the foot. I live in Poland and for the past ten years I feel like we have constantly frozen off our own fingers to carry a policy that benefits only one party: The USA, which basically has no risk(bar WW3 which apparently is not a big deal) but the potential for all the reward. Yet we are losing our income, paying huge energy fees and basically see a decline in our security not because Russia apparently wants to invade us but because we have a “leadership” that is not beholden to the public interest but to their personal interest. These are the same people that have their livelihood secured and at the first sign of trouble, will piss off to another far away country at the first sound of gun fire.
Man Lee
2022-01-30 at 14:47
This is the Anglo-Saxon masters of the Universe (AUKUS) desperately trying to push back the multipolar world that is already here. The bear trap they set up has ensnared the feet of the eagle. Get your popcorn ready to watch how Russia is outwitting the US/UK gang. Russia has the stronger military; it can handle any or all the sanctions, and Germany and France need Russia to be on side so as not to totally disrupt gas/energy markets. Biden and Blinken can’t win.