_Vinayak Barot
New Delhi: The White House said on Tuesday that Russia is ready to attack Ukraine at any point – upping its threat assessment ahead of a meeting between the top US and Russian diplomats. The White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said that “We are now at a stage where Russia could at any point launch an attack on Ukraine.”
The US and European countries have raised deep concerns over Russia’s troop build-up on the border despite repeated denials from Moscow that an invasion is planned. “If President Vladimir Putin decides to launch an invasion of Ukraine, where Russia already has annexed Crimea and backs, pro-Russian separatists, in another region, then severe economic consequences will be imposed,” Psaki said.
“No option is off the table,” she said, warning of an “extremely dangerous situation.”
However, The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) countries are showed their stand by sending support and weapons to Ukraine. Germany signaled on Tuesday that it could halt the Nord Stream 2 pipeline from Russia if Moscow invades Ukraine and Western nations rallied behind Kyiv over a Russian troop build-up that has stoked fears of war.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday warned Russia against invading Ukraine, calling the former Soviet republic a powerful country with international friends. Turkey’s supply of combat drones to Ukraine has drawn the wrath of Russia, which fears they could be used by Kyiv in its years-long conflict in two regions of the Moscow-backed separatist east.
Erdogan said he intended to discuss the rising tensions with Russian President Vladimir Putin. You cannot handle these things by saying “I will invade something, I will take it. I don’t see Russia’s invasion of Ukraine as a realistic option because it is not an ordinary country. Ukraine is a powerful Country.”
The Defense Secretary of the United Kingdom said that “Britain is supplying Ukraine with short-range anti-tank missiles for self-defense after Russia amassed about 100,000 troops on its border.”
Dozens of British troops have been in Ukraine since 2015 to help train their armed forces, and the UK has also committed to helping rebuild Ukraine’s navy following Russia’s invasion of Crimea in 2014.