{O/C} It was yet another day of stern warnings in the United States following a phone conversation between Presidents Joe Biden and Vladimir Putin.
Washington said in a statement that Russia will be confronted with swift, decisive and severe consequences should a Russian incursion happen.
This, as a concerted effort continues to put an end to the crisis.
{SOT}
U.S. President Joe Biden and Russian leader Vladimir Putin spoke over the phone for roughly an hour today.
A call Washington portrayed as "professional and substantive", yet no significant agreement was reached.
Russia adamantly denies allegations it proposes to invade Ukraine despite the fact over 100,000 troops are armed to the teeth near 3 sides of the Ukrainian border.
Sources say a Russian incursion could begin on short notice, even before the Winter Olympics in Beijing winds down, which is why the U.S. is waiting for the other shoe to drop.
Washington released a statement on the heels of the phone call. In it, Biden reiterated that a Russian invasion of Ukraine in addition to the 2014 invasion would result in widespread human suffering and tarnish Russia's reputation. Plus, debilitating punishment would be meted out. But he maintains the U.S. is committed to calling a halt to the crisis via diplomacy.
The conversation between the two Presidents came at a critical moment when Ukraine is on the precipice of a cataclysmic war.
Given that Russia has sent troops to exercises in neighbouring Belarus, the U.S. may not be in with a shout.
Responding to Biden, a spokeswoman of Russia's Foreign Ministry snubbed America's warnings, saying the U.S. doesn't have any misgivings about a war because it is hell-bent on it.
With Ukraine becoming a powder keg, the U.S. State Department fervently urged Americans there to depart immediately.
Meantime, the U.S. Embassy's military attache said Moscow chased away a U.S. submarine near the Kuril Island in a move that's expected to further aggravate U.S.-Russia relations. The U.S. denied those military operations.
Notwithstanding heightened tensions, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy cautioned against panic. He said panic doesn't help, dismissing conjecture that a Russian incursion is imminent.
What used to be regular skirmishes despite that 2015 peace deal brokered by France and Germany have now emerged as a sword of Damocles that remains hanging in the balance.
Comments