A Ukrainian border guard at the border with Russia, 40 km from Kharkiv in the east, on February 16, 2022 (AFP / Sergey BOBOK)
The Ukrainian president promised Wednesday that his country will “defend” against any Russian invasion, assuring like his Western allies not to see any real withdrawal of Russian soldiers from the border, contrary to what Moscow announces.
After witnessing major military exercises in which Ukrainian forces tested Western-supplied anti-tank weapons in Rivne in the west of the country, President Volodymyr Zelensky traveled to the east in Mariupol, near the front line with pro-Russian separatists backed by Moscow.
“We are not afraid of any prognosis, we are not afraid of anyone (…) because we are going to defend ourselves”, launched Mr. Zelensky, dressed in a military uniform on the occasion of the “Day of unity” which he had decreed.
Like several other Western countries, he said he had seen no real changes in the concentration of Russian troops on Ukraine’s borders.
“We see an accumulation of troops which has not changed in recent weeks,” assured the Ukrainian president, saying he had simply seen “small rotations”.
A giant Ukrainian flag unfurled in Kyiv to celebrate Unity Day, February 16, 2022 (AFP/SERGEI CHUZAVKOV)
Westerners have been worried for weeks about the risks of an attack on Ukraine by Russia, which has massed more than 100,000 soldiers on the borders of this country, an explosive situation at the heart of the worst crisis with Moscow since the end of the Cold War.
While increasing diplomatic negotiations, Americans and Europeans have warned that massive economic sanctions were ready in the event of Moscow taking action, which denies any desire to invade.
In a telephone conversation on Wednesday evening, US President Joe Biden and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz agreed that “Russia must take real de-escalation measures” and “expect extremely serious consequences”. if it attacks Ukraine, according to a statement from Berlin.
– Doubtful Westerners –
The Russian army announced on Wednesday the end of exercises and the departure of soldiers from the annexed peninsula of Crimea, publishing a video claiming to show wagons loaded with military equipment leaving the night zone.
Photo provided by the Russian Defense Ministry on February 16, 2022 showing military trucks crossing the bridge linking annexed Crimea with Russia (Russian Defense Ministry/Handout)
Belarus also promised on Wednesday that all Russian soldiers deployed on its territory as part of maneuvers would leave the country at the scheduled end of these exercises, on February 20.
But Westerners say they do not see the announced de-escalation.
“No significant withdrawal of Russian troops has been observed so far,” said MM. Biden and Scholz in the evening.
The Russian threat “is there, it is real,” US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said earlier, claiming to see “forces that would be at the forefront of possible aggression (…) that continue to be massed at the border”.
“On the contrary, it appears that Russia continues to strengthen its military presence,” said NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky attends military exercises near Rivne, February 16, 2022 (Ukrainian Defense Ministry Press Service/Handout)
He said NATO would further strengthen its military presence on its eastern flank in the face of Russian threats, which have now become “the new normal in Europe”.
After a phone call between British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, the two leaders agreed that a Russian invasion of Ukraine would have “catastrophic” consequences and will continue to work to “avoid an escalation disastrous military and humanitarian crisis,” a spokesman for Mr Johnson said.
Russia still concentrates “as many forces” around Ukraine, also said the head of French diplomacy Jean-Yves Le Drian.
– Flags unfurled –
Map showing Russian troop deployment on Ukrainian borders and Russian, Belarusian and Ukrainian military installations (AFP/)
Moscow deplores the rejection by the West of its main demands, such as the end of the policy of enlargement of the Alliance, in particular to Ukraine, and the withdrawal of NATO’s military infrastructure from Eastern Europe. ‘East.
For their part, the West has proposed talks on subjects such as arms control.
Alongside claims of partial troop withdrawal, Moscow opened a new front with a parliamentary vote on Tuesday calling on Russian President Vladimir Putin to recognize the independence of separatist territories in Ukraine.
A Ukrainian border guard on duty at the border crossing between Ukraine and Russia, some 40 km from Ukraine’s 2nd city, Kharkiv, on February 16, 2022. (AFP / Sergey BOBOK)
It would be a “gross violation of international law”, warned Antony Blinken on Wednesday.
In the streets of Kiev, many flags were visible on the occasion of the “Day of Unity” decreed by Mr. Zelensky, which minimizes the risk of an invasion.
Symbolically, several wealthy Ukrainians announced their return to the country after a call from the Head of State. Ukraine’s richest man, oligarch Rinat Akhmetov, also visited Mariupol, announcing more than $1 billion in investments there for 2022.