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Stockholm. Russia and Ukraine, the two estranged brothers of former Soviet Russia, are at loggerheads over large-scale deployment of forces on their borders. The US, the leader of the NATO military alliance, says Russia is planning to take an aggressive approach against Ukraine. However, Russia has denied any such plan. Tensions have been brewing between Russia and Ukraine since Russia annexed Crimea in 2014.
It is being told that in a recent meeting in Stockholm, the capital of Sweden, US Secretary of State Antoine Blinken reiterated to his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov that the US has asked Russia to withdraw its forces from the western border with Ukraine. is invoked.
According to a US government spokesman, Blinken has made it clear that if Russia increases its military capability, then America and its allies are ready and Russia will have to pay the price. However, it was not clear from Blinken’s words what he meant by paying the price. He meant some sort of military response or something.
Ukraine has claimed that more than 90 thousand Russian soldiers are stationed on the border and they are also present with armored vehicles and electronic warfare systems. Due to this, Ukraine and the NATO alliance are worried that Russia is not planning any kind of attack.
On the other hand, Russia says that Ukraine has deployed 120,000 troops along the border and is engaged in reclaiming territory occupied by Russian-backed rebels in eastern Ukraine. Ukraine has denied the allegation.
The differences between Russia and Ukraine have come to the fore in the form of racial claims. At the same time, experts are looking at this dispute through a geopolitical prism. Ukraine is neither a part of the European Union nor NATO, yet its growing proximity to Western Europe and NATO has brought a wrinkle to Russia’s forehead. And he sees it as a direct interference with the American leadership in his sphere of influence.
Russia annexed Crimea in 2014 at a time when Ukrainians were pushing for deeper economic ties with the European Union. Steps taken in this direction were repulsed by the former President of Ukraine Viktor Yanukovich, who fled the country due to heavy protests. A month later, in March 2014, Russian forces reached and occupied Crimea, and in a controversial referendum it was shown that the people of Crimea supported Russia.
Due to the occupation, Ukraine sought help from Western powers and America to take steps against Russia, this thing had gone unnoticed to Russia.
Ukraine has urged the European Union and NATO to prepare a sanctions package due to this matter and to cooperate against Russia’s aggressive attitude. Although Russia is not ready to face any setback from NATO, Putin said in Moscow that any military activity by NATO in Ukraine could have serious consequences.
He said he would like reliable and long-term security guarantees from the West and that NATO would restrain itself from advancing east. Putin said that he would talk to the US and its allies about this, emphasizing on agreements that could prevent NATO from moving east. Due to which Russia gets the threat of interference in its territory.
In 2015, with the mediation of France and Germany, an agreement was reached to maintain peace between Russia and Ukraine, which was called the Minsk Agreement, which is still in place. Although experts say that it was unfavorable to Ukraine.
US Secretary of State Blinken reiterated his point of view, saying that he had strong evidence of Russia’s plan to attack Ukraine. Speaking to the media in Stockom, he said that Russia may deny attack on Ukraine, but we know very well that he (Putin) has the ability to do so in a short time.
Blinken said that we have made it clear that if anything like this happens, we will respond strongly, including the economic impact. Although US diplomatic and military institutions did not specify what the response would be, Blinken said it would have long-term consequences.
At the same time, the Chief of the US Military Chiefs of Staff, Mark Milley, said that in this way the security interests of America and NATO countries are at stake, Russia had taken military action on a country that was independent since 1991. Russia believes that NATO has refused a constructive investigation of our proposals to reduce tension and avoid dangerous incidents. At the same time, the military structure of the coalition is coming closer to the borders of Russia.
Meanwhile, Russia and the US are engaged in the expulsion of diplomats in their respective countries, where Russia has asked the Russian Foreign Ministry to leave the US embassy staff by January 31. This is for those who were posted in Moscow for three years. At the same time, 27 Russian diplomats and their families in America will leave America by 30 January.
Along with this, America has imposed economic sanctions on Russia since the occupation of Crimea, in addition to sanctioning military weapons to Ukraine, America has also provided one billion dollars of defensive aid.
It is being said that Putin and Joe Biden may contact soon after the meeting of Blinken and Lavrov. Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said that the contact
