Secretary of State Antony Blinken warned Moscow Wednesday that the US was prepared to impose “high impact” sanctions on Russia in the event of a Russian invasion.
“We’ve made it clear to the Kremlin that we will respond resolutely, including with a range of high impact economic measures that we have refrained from pursuing in the past,” Blinken said in Riga, Latvia, after meeting with other NATO foreign ministers.
Russia has strongly denied that it has any plans to invade Ukraine, but the US continues to warn of a potential Russian incursion. The US has made its assessment based on an alleged Russian troop buildup near the border with Ukraine.
“Now, we don’t know whether President Putin has made the decision to invade,” Blinken said. “We do know that he’s putting in place the capacity to do so in short order should he so decide.”
In a sign that tensions could ease, the State Department said Blinken is set to meet with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on the sidelines of the Organization for Security and Cooperation on Europe summit in Stockholm on Thursday.
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg also delivered a warning to Russia Wednesday and said that the military alliance has a “range of options” to take in response to a Russian invasion, including sanctions.
Besides sanctions, Blinken said NATO is “prepared to reinforce its defenses on the eastern flank.” The military alliance already has a presence in Eastern Europe, including in Latvia and Estonia, two countries that border Russia. Russia has been vocal about its opposition to the NATO presence in the region, and President Vladimir Putin said Wednesday that he wants guarantees from the alliance that it won’t expand further eastward.
Moscow is also concerned over the Western push to arm Ukraine. The UK recently signed a military deal with Ukraine that will give Kyiv loans to purchase British warships, and the US is reportedly considering sending military advisors and more weapons to Ukraine.
In the end it will be Binken who will blink
He just did.
Oh Boy! I bet that’ll scare Putin. Weakest response possible.
Huh? Sanctions? Go ahead, invade, LOL!!
Why would Russia initiate a war in Ukraine? True, there are many ethnic Russians living there and Russia will protect them, but on the whole, Russia is doing quite well without their Eastern Empire. Ukrainians are more trouble than they are worth – they are the West’s problem now.
Nicely stated good Richard and with an appropriate amount of humor. 😉
Yes, that is why the Russians left in the first place. “Head over heart,” as Putin termed the decision.
From “all options on the table” to the threat of sanctions. The hawks must be circling as we speak.
I think they just crapped on my mailbox!…
Do you think everyone is getting just a tad pandemic bored?… 😉
Winken, Blinken and Nod isn’t capable of doing his job. The Neocons have gotten control and they have a lifetime Obsession with Balkanizing Russia and stealing their Natural Resources so they want War, and they are going to get it.
WWIIIMD:
Do you think some of us are getting pandemic bored?… Enjoyed the rhyme in your post.
The United States wants conflict in Ukraine, as this will provide a pretext to force Germany to cancel NS2. Keep in mind that the German Greens now in the German government are as viscerally neocon as one can get outside the US or Israel, although they like to dress up their imperialism with some human rights talk.
That said, the United States does NOT want to go to war over Ukraine, as that will surely end badly for them. Something like Georgia attacking South Ossetia and Abkhazia in 2008 would do nicely. Egg Ukraine on and encourage Russia to respond.
Good Morning FF:
I wish these guys would all get together and go play golf and let the rest of us get some healthy shut-eye.
Appreciate your assessment!
cheery-mg
Closing the gas pipes though Ukraine and Belarus will be what forces the US to back off the idea of closing Nord Stream 2. For Germany it would be NS2 or freeze this winter.
Well, since NS2 isn’t going to be certified or transporting gas for another six months, the point would be moot.
Besides, since when does Washington care if Germans freeze?
It is completed. The paperwork delay is just American pressure.
We know all that. It doesn’t matter why the delay happens, Germans still won’t get gas in the meantime.
I suspect Germans are a bit more self-serving than that. If they feel they need it, then they’ll do it. In the meantime, they’ll play at politics to please Americans.
He is doing his Kaiser Wilhelm-like best to provoke war.