The update came two days after Washington urged all US citizens to leave Ukraine immediately….reports Asian Lite News
The US State Department has ordered most of its direct hire employees at the Embassy in Kiev to evacuate, suspending the regular consular services, “due to the continued threat of Russian military action”.
In an updated travel advisory issued on Saturday, the State Department said passport, visa and other routine consular services will be suspended starting from Sunday, but the US will maintain a small consular presence in the western Ukrainian city of Lviv to handle emergencies, reports Xinhua news agency.
The update came two days after Washington urged all US citizens to leave Ukraine immediately.
US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan told reporters on Friday at the White House that American nationals should evacuate within 48 hours, citing unspecified intelligence purporting a Russian invasion of Ukraine at any moment.
The State Department has been told in recent days that a “couple thousand” Americans are still in Ukraine, a “substantial number” of whom do not want to leave, a senior State Department official said during a call with reporters on Saturday.
On Saturday evening, US President Joe Biden and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin discussed situation in Ukraine and related security issues in a phone call that lasted for about an hour.
The White House said Biden made it clear to Putin “while the US remains prepared to engage in diplomacy”, it is “equally prepared for other scenarios”.
Kremlin aide Yuri Ushako said the two leaders have agreed to continue contacts and that Russia will soon submit its response to the US and NATO on security guarantees.
Earlier in the day, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke to Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov over the phone, during which the top American diplomat reiterated “Russian aggression” would be met with a resolute and massive response.
On his part, Lavrov “stressed that the propaganda campaign launched by the US and its allies regarding ‘Russian aggression’ against Ukraine pursues provocative goals, encouraging the authorities in Kiev to sabotage the Minsk agreements and harmful attempts to resolve the ‘Donbas problem’ by force”, the Russian Foreign Ministry said.
US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin also held a phone conversation with his Russian counterpart, Sergey Shoigu, on Saturday.
China considers Taiwan an integral part of China and has never minced words about its intention to annex it in whichever way possible….reports Asian Lite News
As the entire world is watching the situation developing on the Russia-Ukraine border closely, there is another such disaster in waiting i.e, China’s plans of invading Taiwan, said a media report.
In its report, the Washington-based group Global Strat View said, the recent cases of large-scale incursions by Chinese fighters jets in Taiwan’s airspace and Beijing’s open warning to the US of a military conflict indicate that China is gearing up for the forced takeover of the self-governing island, Taiwan.
According to Global Strat View, Beijing is just watching the world’s reaction to the Russia- Ukraine crisis and how major military powers would intervene if Russia invades. These developments appear to be deciding the future discourse of China’s expansionist plan.
China considers Taiwan an integral part of China and has never minced words about its intention to annex it in whichever way possible.
A Chinese invasion of Taiwan will be more severe than the current Ukraine crisis, and it will not remain just a regional conflict but may flare up into a major armed conflict involving the major western nations, Global Strat View reported.
It further said that China has been taking strong exceptions to different countries trying to forge ties with Taiwan.
Slovenia is the latest country that received barbs from Beijing as it decided to set up its representative office in Taiwan. Responding to it, Beijing called it “dangerous” and warned Slovenian Prime Minister Janez Jansa of not underestimating China’s “strong resolution, will, and capability to defend national sovereignty and territorial integrity,” of which Taiwan is an “inalienable part,” the Washington-based group reported.
“If Taiwanese people want to live independently, we are here to support also this position. And I think this is the main issue,” Jansa had said.
In November 2021, another European country Lithuania had allowed Taiwan to open a de facto embassy under the name ‘Taiwan.’ It had irked Beijing as it saw the move challenging the very concept of “One China Policy”. China imposed economic sanctions against Lithuania and stopped all imports from the European nation.
The message was clear that any country trying to build ties with Taiwan would be met with economic coercion. European Union (EU) had to pitch in as any inaction would mean further pressure from China. The EU underlined its commitment to the One China Policy but maintained that it would pursue cooperation and exchanges with Taiwan in areas of common interest. Yet, China ignored it and continued with the coercion of Lithuania, which led the EU to launch a WTO case against China, Global Strat View reported.
It further reported that there have always been concerns about China taking military action and annexing Taiwan to the mainland. China recently sent 52 warplanes into the Taiwan defence zone, the most significant incursion since October 2021 and the second-largest on record.
China is sending a message to the US and Japan, which have been carrying out naval activities in the region. The US criticized China for intimidating Taiwan, which it called was “destabilizing, risks miscalculation, and undermines regional peace and stability,” Global Strat View reported.
Recently, the US approved of a USD 100 million missile defence sale to Taiwan. Meanwhile, China has warned the US of dire consequences if it encourages Taiwan’s independence. (ANI)
Britian has intensified diplomatic actions, with Foreign Secretary Liz Truss flying on Wednesday to Moscow, seeking to defuse the Russia-Ukraine tensions…reports Asian Lite News
Hopes for peaceful settlement of the Russia-Ukraine tensions have risen as intense diplomatic efforts to alleviate the current crisis have moved into high gear.
Vladimir Chizhov, Russia’s Permanent Representative to the European Union, told the BBC that Russia still believes “diplomacy can help” ease the Ukraine tensions, reiterating that Moscow has no intention of invading any country, while warning that it is important not to provoke Russia into changing its mind.
Gennady Gatilov, Russia’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations Office in Geneva, also said in a recent interview with Russia’s Sputnik news agency that Russia does not plan to invade Ukraine, Xinhua news agency reported.
Ukrainian border patrol troops guard the country’s border to Hungary on Wednesday. Moscow is warning countries not to supply weapons to Kiev, amid an escalation in the conflict in eastern Ukraine. Photo: -/Ukrinform/dpa/IANS
“Western officials and analysts are probably at a loss when decoding quite unambiguous statements of the Russian leadership. So I will repeat: Russia does not and did not have plans to invade Ukraine. There is no motive or geostrategic goal in this,” Gatilov added.
Britian has intensified diplomatic actions, with Foreign Secretary Liz Truss flying on Wednesday to Moscow, seeking to defuse the Russia-Ukraine tensions and warning that an invasion would bring “massive consequences for all involved”.
“Russia has a choice here. We strongly encourage them to engage, de-escalate and choose the path of diplomacy,” Truss said ahead of departing on the first visit to Moscow.
More upbeat voices have emerged from Paris, as French President Emmanuel Macron said he glimpsed a way forward towards easing the tensions after separate meetings with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Monday and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kiev on Tuesday.
At a joint press conference with Putin following their hours-long talks in the Kremlin, Macron added that he believes there is still an opportunity to find a peaceful path for Europe, where new mechanisms are needed to ensure security and existing pacts are preserved.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson holds a virtual Cabinet meeting in 10 Downing Street. Picture by Simon Dawson / No 10 Downing Street
Putin at the briefing said Russia’s core concerns on security were ignored by the US and the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO), while the military alliance attempts to lecture Russia on where and how to place its armed forces.
The Russian President reiterated Russia’s opposition to NATO’s eastward expansion, adding that Kiev refuses to comply with the 2015 Minsk agreements on a peaceful settlement of the Ukrainian issue and is even attempting to dismantle the deals.
On Wednesday, the French President briefed US President Joe Biden on his talks with Putin and Zelensky, the White House said.
In a meeting with visiting German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in Washington on Monday, Biden threatened to “bring an end to” Nord Stream 2, a key Russian natural gas pipeline to Germany, if Russia invades Ukraine.
On his first trip to Washington since becoming Chancellor, Scholz said, “We will act together. And we will take all the necessary steps, and all the necessary steps will be done by all of us together.”
Scholz will be in Moscow and Kiev next week for talks with Putin and Zelensky.
Several Western countries have accused Moscow of having amassed troops near the Ukrainian border, stoking fears of a Russian “invasion”.
Moscow denied the accusation, saying that Russia has the right to mobilise troops within its borders to defend its territory as NATO’s activities constitute a threat to Russia’s border security.
On Tuesday, the Ukrainian President voiced his hope that the next meeting of leaders of the Normandy Four, which includes Ukraine, France, Germany and Russia, would take place “in the near future”.
“An important step in this direction is the intensification of dialogue at the level of political advisers. We hope that the meeting in Paris, which took place on January 26, 2022, and the upcoming talks in Berlin will bring us closer to holding the Normandy Summit,” Zelensky was quoted as saying by his press service.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan welcomed at an official ceremony by President Volodymyr Zelensky at the Mariyinsky Palce in Kyiv (Photo@trpresidency)
Ukrainian academic and political analyst Valentin Yakushik cautions that the “real levers of solving the current geopolitical conflict around Ukraine are held in Washington.” It is this that may hold the key to Turkey’s interest vis-a-vis Ukraine, writes Aditi Bhaduri
Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan is visiting Kiev, the capital of Ukraine, from February 3. His mission? To assure Ukraine of Turkish support at a time when Russia has amassed 100,000 troops along the Ukrainian border. It is fairly obvious that the wily Turkish leader, obsessed with the idea of reviving the Ottoman empire, wishes to play the role of potential peace -maker to break the impasse between Moscow and Kiev.
As in a number of conflict zones – North Africa, the Middle East, and the South Caucasus, Turkey is trying to intervene in Ukraine too, though choosing to adopt a relatively lower profile. President Erdogan has repeatedly offered to host Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Ukrainian counterpart Volodimir Zhelensky, as part of his effort to mediate between the two antagonists.
“Turkey is trying to play an independent active role in many geopolitical conflict zones, including Ukraine. It is quite logical for the Turkish state leader to propose to Russia and Ukraine his role as a peace-maker and intermediary,’ says Ukrainian academic and political analyst Valentin Yakushik. But he cautions that the “real levers of solving the current geopolitical conflict around Ukraine are held in Washington.” It is this that may hold the key to Turkey’s interest vis-a-vis Ukraine.
Certainly, Turkey, as a NATO member, cannot be indifferent to the conflict. It has also clashed with Russia in a number of conflict zones, most notably in Syria where an impasse persists. In spite of ironing out some of its differences with Russia following the failed coup attempt in 2016, Turkey has refused to recognize the Crimea as Russian territory after Russia annexed the region in 2014, home to its critically important Sevastopol naval base in the Black Sea. Instead, Ankara has kept up a steady emotive rhetoric in solidarity with Crimean Tatars, also a fellow Turkic community.
In Kiev, among other things, Erdogan will oversee the signing of a free trade agreement with the Ukraine, Turkey’s Anadolu News Agency has announced. Trade between Ukraine and Turkey has almost doubled over the past few years, amounting to $7 billion. Turkey also became Ukraine’s largest investor in 2020. Defence collaboration is also going strong with Ukraine set to start joint production of Turkey’s “game changer” Bayraktar TBT 2 drones. It has also used these drones against rebels in Donelson, who are backed by Russia.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan welcomed at an official ceremony by President Volodymyr Zelensky at the Mariyinsky Palce in Kyiv (Photo@trpresidency)
A Turkish official has been quoted by the London based Middle East Eye that “Ukraine is like a dam that stops further Russian influence and pressure in the region.”
Nevertheless, Turkey has limited space to manoeuvre this time. As it learnt the hard way after shooting down a Russian aircraft in 2015, that upsetting Russia would boomerang on itself. With its struggling economy Turkey will not risk something similar like a tourist ban from Russia, when Russian tourists comprise 20 percent of all foreign visitors to Turkey. Besides, Turkey has purchased the S-400 Triumf missile system from Russia—a move that upset Ankara’s ties with Washington. Turkey also depends on Russia for its gas imports. Moscow is also building Turkey’s first nuclear power plant, further increasing Russia’s leverages vis-à-vis Turkey.
According to Russian-Kyrgyz analyst Alexander Sobianin, Turkey is furthering the American strategy by confronting Russia with its inroads into places like Syria and the South Caucasus, and now in Ukraine. The rest is for domestic consumption with Erdogan’s AKP party’s waning popularity amongst Turks. Together with a struggling economy it will be interesting to watch how the President’s visit to Ukraine pans out.
(Photo -Ukrinform_dpa_IANS)
‘There will be no war now’
Dr. Valentin Yakushik, a Professor at the National University of Life and Environmental Sciences of Ukraine, Kiev tells geopolitical analyst Aditi Bhaduri that “there will be no war now between Russia and Ukraine”. In a freewheeling interview, Dr. Yakushik also discusses the role of the United States in the crisis and prospects of peace.
Excerpts of the interview:
Walk us through what the current situation is like on the Russian-Ukrainian border.
The situation at the Russian-Ukrainian border now is “as usual” – quite peaceful. One can see a lot of people moving from one country to another. Trade is “as usual”; people, cars, buses, trucks and freight waggons go back and forth, though under some restrictive measures (on both sides) connected with the declared “COVID-19 pandemic”, and taking into account that the Ukrainian side has stopped (for political reasons) the air and passenger rail-way communications between the two countries. The only “problematic” areas are those at the “line of contact” between the Ukrainian central government-controlled regions and the separatists-controlled parts of Donetskand Lugansk regions (supported by the Russian Federation). Certainly, there are some sporadic small-scale skirmishes and other similar small-scale (in terms of a strategic importance) local conflicts, but not too serious though.
The Russian Federation is conducting a series of military manoeuvres on its territory not far from the border with Ukraine. The Ukrainian army is also conducting manoeuvres and amassing its forces near the “line of conflict” in the east of Ukraine and creating new fortifications on the border with Russia and Belorussia. The West is intensively supplying arms to Ukraine and providing other types of military support.
Russian President Vladimir Putin
The crux of the conflict seems to be potential NATO membership for Ukraine. What are the other dimensions of the conflict?
There are several dimensions of the current conflict around Ukraine: geopolitical, civilizational, inter-state, and internal politics (related to divisions within the elites in Ukraine, Russia, USA, EU, UK).
The crux of the current geopolitical conflict between Russia and the West (to a large extent related to Ukraine) is that the leadership of the Russian Federation, after more than 30 years of depressing (for its people) geo-political and geo-economic retreats, feels again the strength and preparedness of Russia to oppose the West and actively reassert Russia’s national interests.
Civilizationally, Russia is again ready to declare the defence of its multicultural civilizational space (East Slavic, Slavic-Turkic) and to reassert itself vis-à-vis the still dominant Anglo-American civilizational global space.
There is a serious conflict between the two independent states (national authorities): the post-revolutionary Ukraine pursuing the policies of becoming a part of the Trans-Atlantic West, and the culturally conservative, though still neoliberal (in economic terms) and oligarchic Russia.
A special set of conflicts around Ukraine are those stemming from the internal strife within the elites of each of the major countries involved in that geo-political conflict – the fight between conditional “hawks” and “doves” in the USA, Russia, Ukraine and various EU countries and the UK.
What do most Ukrainians want – do they want to become a part of NATO?
Most Ukrainians just want peace, they are tired of geo-political tensions tearing their country apart and of degeneration of the societal fabric. They want to have a fair solution to the conflicts and national reconciliation. Therefore 73 per cent of the Ukrainian electorate voted in 2019 for Volodymyr Zelensky as a new President of Ukraine. They were “deciphering” his vague electoral messages with the intention to bring a peaceful solution to the prolonged conflict in the east of Ukraine. But for two and a half years nothing changed in this respect.
Some Ukrainians think that they should rely on NATO in the search of peace. Now more than 50 percent of Ukrainians at sociological surveys of the population in Ukraine usually say that they would like their country to join NATO. Though anti-NATO (conservative pan-Slavic and traditional crypto-Soviet) views are still very strong in Ukraine, especially in the east and south of the country. More likely within the future process of the national reconciliation the concept of Henry Kissinger expressed in relation to Ukraine would prevail – Ukraine as a bridge between the East and the West of Europe.
Why is it so important for Ukraine to join NATO given the centuries old ethnic, cultural, religious and linguistic ties Ukraine has with Russia?
It is important for that segment of Ukrainian elites and the relevant strata of the whole population who see themselves as a part of the Western world and would like to be as far away as possible from Russia, any Russia – autocratic or democratic. That part of the Ukrainian society needs the support of strategic opponents of Russia. Now NATO is one of such opponents.
Do you think Russia could really go to war with Ukraine or is amassing troops on the Ukrainian border simply posturing?
I am absolutely sure that there will be no war now between Russia and Ukraine. I shall give some arguments. But first I would like to mention that the only circumstance when Russia may attack Ukrainian armed forces now is if there would be an attempt to wipe out separatist authorities in Donetsk and Lugansk imitating and modelling the Croatian operation against separatist Serbs-populated regions in 1995. Russia is just exerting pressure on Ukraine and the West, showing its fourth and fighting spirit.
Russia cannot dare to attack Ukrainian armed forces now. Why? First, for conceptual reasons – when their present leader officially declares that Russians and Ukrainians “are one nation”, like Turkish and Azerbaijanis are declaring their concept of “two states and one nation”.
Secondly, now the Ukrainian army is strong, and the society is not yet irreversibly divided. If there is a coup in Ukraine (such a threat exists, as president Zelensky mentioned), then the situation may change.
Third, Russia does not need to waste its resources on such a war and then in maintaining the functioning of the Ukrainian society and state. Russia is inclined to the policy that after the 2014 revolution it is the West’s responsibility to care about the functioning of Ukraine.
Fourth, Russia has a lot of its own internal problems and needs to economise its budgetary expenses.
Fifth, Russia wants to avoid new sanctions from the West, and needs to finalise its infrastructural projects in Europe (“Nord Stream – 2 gas pipe-line, in particular).
Sixth, now is the best possible moment when there may be reached a “historic compromise” between the USA and Russia – till November 2022, while President Joseph R. Biden is very strong – being experienced, wise, having formed a more or less coherent administration, controlling both chambers of Congress and having more reliable levers to influence the “deep state” than his ambitious predecessor.
What do you think of US military supplies to Ukraine? Is it really meaningful? Does it change the current status quo?
The US leadership needs to show that they are supporting the traditional American ally – the post-revolutionary Ukraine. These supplies cannot change anything in the correlations of forces on Ukraine’s borders, as Russia easily makes the relevant build-up on its (and its dependencies’) side of the borderlines. Such military supplies to Ukraine seem to be an important element of an interesting and, in fact, promising game or rather theatrical performance. And in the end, the US President Joseph Biden and the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky become the 2023 Nobel Peace Prize winners – for averting the war with Russia and for providing for the full implementation of the Minsk Accords, due to what Donetsk and Lugansk (the eastern Ukrainian regions currently controlled by Russia-supported separatists) get reintegrated with Ukraine on the basis somehow similar to the status of Hong-Kong and Macau in the People’s Republic of China.
Crimea has been annexed by Russia given that the majority of the residents there wanted reunification. Tell us about the situation currently in Eastern Ukraine?
Crimea was annexed by the Russian Federation not because the residents of that area wanted to join Russia (though most of the local residents always were pro-Russian culturally and politically, while being loyal Ukrainian citizens), but because of deliberate Russian Federation’s policy of promoting and supporting the irredentist strategy in Crimea from February 2014. The Russian leadership in this way created a multi-level geo-political and civilizational trap for itself and its country. In particular, that also led to a radical weakening of pan-Slavic and civilizational conservative forces in Ukraine.
In eastern Ukraine there was a distinct type of Russia’s policy – the support of separatist agenda. It also turned out to be another similar trap. Donetsk and Lugansk were always helping to keep on a multi-cultural Ukraine, now the significant part of those regions is cut off from Ukraine and are economically depressed areas. The Russian leadership is conducting a policy of gradual partial incorporation of those separatist Ukrainian regions into the Russian economic and cultural space – a lot of local residents are granted the citizenship of the Russian Federation and the degenerating economies of those regions are allowed to have full-fledged free connections with the Russian economy.
Now, there is still a chance for Donetsk and Lugansk regions to get re-integrated with Ukraine. And it can be reached within the framework of “historic compromise” between President Joseph Biden and President Vladimir Putin.
What would it take to bring peace between Russia and Ukraine? Is there any realistic chance of that in the near future or is this destined to be another of the world’s frozen conflicts?
There are various scenarios for overcoming the current exacerbation of the situation around Ukraine and in the east of Ukraine. One of them presupposes turning the conflict in the east of Ukraine into a frozen one. Another one is to implement the Minsk Accords on which basis there can be the re-integration of the Russia-supported separatists-controlled regions into Ukraine. It would envisage a wide autonomy (almost on the confederative basis) for those two regions – Donetsk and Lugansk – within Ukraine. Taking into account the key role of the US in the post-revolutionary (post-2014) Ukraine, the US administration is definitely the major geopolitical actor in defining which scenario of those two would be chosen.
(Aditi Bhaduri is a columnist specialising in Eurasian geopolitics. Views expressed are personal and exclusive to India Narrative)
Washington has also authorised the “voluntary” departure of its embassy employees, adding to tensions between Russia and the West over concerns of a possible Russian invasion of Ukraine, reports Asian Lite News
The United States has ordered the families of its diplomats in the Ukrainian capital Kyiv to leave the country “due to the continued threat” of a Russian invasion, the State Department said Sunday.
Washington has also authorized the “voluntary” departure of its non-essential embassy staff and urged US citizens in the Eastern European country to “consider departing now,” saying it will not be in a position to evacuate them after any possible incursion by Moscow.
Russia has been massing tens of thousands of troops on its border with Ukraine, along with an arsenal of tanks, fighting vehicles, artillery and missiles.
The movements have ignited stern warnings from Washington and Europe — but so far intense diplomacy has yielded little results.
The US embassy remains open and Charge d’Affaires Kristina Kvien is staying in the country for now, a senior State Department official told reporters.
The official repeated earlier warnings from the White House that an invasion could come at “any time.”
Washington “will not be in a position to evacuate US citizens in such a contingency,” the official said, urging Americans to consider leaving via commercial or private transport as soon as possible.
The official refused to specify the number of Americans on Ukrainian soil, but State Department representatives last month put the figure at between 10,000 and 15,000.
The State Department already advises against all travel to Ukraine because of the possibility of a Russian invasion.
On Sunday, it also advised against travel to Russia, particularly to areas on its border with Ukraine, warning that Americans could face “harassment” and that Washington would have “limited ability” to assist them.
US citizens “who are visiting or residing in Russia have been interrogated without cause, and threatened by Russian officials and may become victims of harassment, mistreatment, and extortion,” the advisory said.
The Kremlin denies any intentions to invade its neighbor — but is making de-escalation conditional on treaties guaranteeing non-expansion of NATO, especially to Ukraine, and a withdrawal of the alliance from Eastern Europe.
Earlier Sunday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken dismissed the idea of slapping punitive sanctions on Moscow before any potential invasion, saying they should be used as a means of “dissuading” an attack.
“Once sanctions are triggered, you lose the deterrent effect,” Blinken told CBS.
“So what we’re doing is putting together a whole series of actions that would figure into President (Vladimir) Putin’s calculus.”
That includes beefing up defenses in Ukraine with more military assistance, Blinken said.
90 tons of military aid arrives in Ukraine
Continued tensions between Ukraine and Russia have led to the U.S. providing 90 tons of military aid that arrived in Ukraine, as roughly 100,000 Russian troops remain stationed along the border.
The shipment is part of the additional $200 million of “lethal aid” approved by President Biden in late December and includes ammunition for Ukraine’s front-line defenders, the U.S. Embassy in Kyiv tweeted. Overall, the U.S. has provided $650 million in defense equipment and services to Ukraine in the past year — the most it has ever given that country, according to the State Department.
“The United States and its allies and partners are standing together to expedite security assistance to Ukraine,” Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a tweet on Friday. “We are utilizing all available security cooperation tools to help Ukraine bolster its defenses in the face of Russian aggression.”
This comes after Blinken visited Kyiv and met with his Kremlin counterpart, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, in Switzerland earlier this week.
“We didn’t expect any major breakthroughs to happen today,” Blinken said at a news conference following his meeting Friday with Lavrov in Geneva. “But I believe we are now on a clear path in terms of understanding each other’s concerns and each other’s positions.”
Russia has continued to insist on a written guarantee that Ukraine won’t join NATO. Blinken said he made the U.S. position clear, which is to “stand firmly with Ukraine in support of its sovereignty and territorial integrity.”
Blinken said that any military action on Russia’s side would “be met with swift, severe and a united response from the United States and our partners and allies.” Russia has denied it has any intention of invading.
US concerned over Russia “Plot”
The United States finds accusations that Moscow aims to install a pro-Russian leader in Ukraine “deeply concerning,” the White House said Saturday in response to a report by the British Foreign Office.
“This kind of plotting is deeply concerning. The Ukrainian people have the sovereign right to determine their own future, and we stand with our democratically elected partners in Ukraine,” National Security Council spokeswoman Emily Horne said.
President Erdogan says Turkey ready to mediate between Russia, Ukraine for regional peace … reports Asian Lite News
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said that his country is ready to act as a mediator between Ukraine and Russia to sustain peace in the region.
“We want peace to prevail in the region, and for this, we are ready to do our part,” he told reporters in Istanbul after Friday prayers.
The Turkish leader revealed his plan to discuss the latest developments in Ukraine with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin either on the phone or during a possible visit to Moscow in the upcoming days, Xinhua news agency reported.
Erdogan will pay a visit to Ukraine in early February.
Russian President Vladimir Putin (R) meets with his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Moscow, Russia. (Sputnik/Handout via Xinhua/IANS)
“Any development between Russia and Ukraine toward a border violation or an outbreak of a war would constitute a serious violation of the peace of the region,” he remarked, noting any unrest there would upset Turkey as it has good and improving relations with both countries.
Erdogan on Thursday invited the Presidents of Russia and Ukraine for talks in Istanbul to calm the tension.
Some western countries have been accusing Russia of amassing military troops along the Ukrainian border, saying Moscow could be planning a military offensive. Russia, however, has been denying the accusation.
