In reaction to Russia’s significant military personnel buildup near its borders with Ukraine, a senior U.S. defense authority warns the United States will not be alone in taking action.
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin is currently in Seoul for conferences with South Korean authorities. He said on Thursday he would not make assumptions on how the United States will react to Russia’s provocative actions against Ukraine.
However, he also believes Moscow ought to be aware the United States will not be acting alone in the matter.
🇺🇲🇺🇦🇷🇺 US state secretary #Blinken and #Ukraine's foreign minister survive a sabotage attempt by #Russia!
🚨 Shaken by the ordeal, Blinken later said, "In our country it's allowed to carry weapons, I would ask you not to turn off the lights anymore!" pic.twitter.com/x2wvN1uq0E
— Terror Alarm (@terror_alarm) December 2, 2021
Armed Forces Deployment at Borders
According to Austin, who spoke at a joint press conference with his South Korean colleague, anything they do will be done as part of the world’s community. He went on to urge Russian President Vladimir Putin to stop the fire in the region.
He said the best-case scenario would be they did not see an entry by the Russians or Chinese. He noted Russia’s soldier deployment in the border regions is only a portion of the problem, given the country has a significant military presence in the region.
The information realm, according to Austin, is likewise filled with alarming rhetoric. His colleagues have also reported seeing President [Volodymyr] Zelenskiy expressing alarm about attempts to destabilize his government.
At a conference with NATO peers in Latvia on Wednesday, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken cautioned the United States was prepared to escalate economic penalties against Russia if necessary.
Kremlin propagandists on #Russia's state TV are deeply unsettled by U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin's visit to Ukraine, claiming that it "crossed one of Russia's red lines."
They referred to Austin with such vile terms that they had to be repeatedly bleeped out. pic.twitter.com/s5GwrcR7tS
— Julia Davis (@JuliaDavisNews) October 19, 2021
In his statement, he declared America made it plain to the Russian government, Kremlin, that they intended to respond forcefully. This could include a variety of high-impact economic indicators they hitherto refrained from employing.
Later on Thursday and in Stockholm, Blinken met with Russian Foreign Affairs Minister Sergey Lavrov.
Putin’s Reply
According to Ukrainian officials, Russia stationed at least 90,000 soldiers along the country’s border with Ukraine and in Crimea, which it unlawfully annexed from Ukraine in 2014.
On the other hand, authorities in Russia charged Ukraine with also undertaking its military expansion in the region.
Earlier this week, Russian President Vladimir Putin reiterated Russia’s objections to the United States and NATO military drills in the Black Sea. He also repeated his warning to NATO against installing what he described as “attack systems” on Ukrainian territory.
On the sidelines of a business event in Moscow, Putin expressed concern about what they should do in such a situation. They will then be required to develop something comparable in response to those who threaten them in this manner; at the absolute least, they are capable of doing so right now.
It will be interesting to see how the events turn out in the coming days and weeks. However, we hope normalcy comes back to the Russia-Ukraine borders soon.
