The United States is not aware of the goals of the Russian authorities in connection with the movements attributed to the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation on the border with Ukraine. This was announced on Wednesday, November 17, at a briefing by US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin.
"As for the accumulation of forces on the border with Ukraine, we are closely monitoring this situation. We don't know for sure what kind of plan [Russian President Vladimir] is pursuing Putin, but these movements definitely attract our attention, and I urge the Russian Federation to be more transparent about its intentions and take measures to implement the Minsk agreements," the Pentagon chief said.
According to the minister, neither the alleged activity of the Russian Armed Forces near the borders of Ukraine, nor the recent tests of Russia, during which an inactive Russian spacecraft was successfully hit, "does not contribute to the atmosphere of security and causes the United States deep concern."
Austin clarified that he regularly maintains contacts on this issue with the Supreme Commander of the NATO Joint Armed Forces in Europe, American General Todd Walters. In addition, the head of the US Defense Department stressed that US support for "the territorial integrity and independence of Ukraine remains unshakable."
On November 15, Bloomberg, referring to American officials, reported that the United States and its allies in Europe are considering the option of new sanctions against Russia in the event of an aggravation of the situation around Ukraine. In addition, the option of increasing military assistance to Kiev is also being discussed. It is noted that the official representative of the White House refused to comment on this information.
It is noteworthy that recently the Western media have become more active in spreading information about the alleged military activity of Russia. So, on November 11, Bloomberg, citing sources, reported that representatives of the administration of the President of the United States Joe Biden voiced concerns at a briefing about Russia's possible preparations for an invasion of Ukraine.
The press secretary of the President of the Russian Federation Dmitry Peskov in response noted that the agency's material is an empty, groundless escalation of tension. According to him, provocative actions are becoming more and more at the moment. He pointed out that all this cannot leave Russia indifferent to what is happening.
On November 12, Dmitry Polyansky, the first Deputy Permanent Representative of the Russian Federation to the UN, denied information about the alleged plans of the Russian Federation's invasion of Ukraine. He stressed that the country has never planned this and does not plan it. In turn, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that statements that the Russian Federation is allegedly preparing an invasion of Ukraine are alarmist. The Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, in turn, indicated that it is NATO that is increasing activity near the borders of Russia.
