Page 5 - aruba-today-20220216

A5
WORLD NEWS Wednesday 16 February 2022
Continued from Front announcement of a troop sembly areas for days,
The U.S. and NATO have withdrawal as a "good sig- taking up positions closer
warned that over 130,000 nal," adding: "We hope to the Ukrainian border at
Russian forces massed near that more will follow." what would be departure
Ukraine could invade at The Russian Defense Minis- points if Putin launched an
any time, and they sent try released images of tanks invasion. The official spoke
troops and military supplies and howitzers rolling onto on condition of anonymity
to shore up NATO members railway platforms and more to discuss information not
in Eastern Europe. Russia tanks rolling across snowy publicly released.
has denied having such fields. It did not disclose U.S. Secretary of State
plans, demanding that the where or when the images Antony Blinken held a call
West keep Ukraine and were taken, or where the with Lavrov, according to
other ex-Soviet nations out vehicles were headed, oth- a State Department official
of the alliance, halt weap- er than "to places of per- who spoke on condition
ons deployments near Rus- manent deployment." In this photo taken from video provided by the Russian Defense of anonymity because the
sian borders, and roll back Russian forces continue Ministry Press Service on Tuesday, Feb. 15, 2022, Russian army call had not been publicly
forces from Eastern Europe. to threaten Ukraine along tanks move back to their permanent base after drills in Russia. announced.
The U.S. and its allies have the eastern border and Associated Press President Joe Biden, who
roundly rejected the de- from the Black Sea Crime- telephoned French Presi-
mands, but offered Russia an peninsula that Mos- lometers (18 miles) from Press said they saw no signs dent Emmanuel Macron
to engage in talks on ways cow seized from Ukraine in Ukraine's border, residents of de-escalation but rath- on Tuesday, is expected
to bolster security in Europe. 2014, the year when it also carried on with life as usual, er the opposite, with Rus- to give brief remarks later
Speaking after meeting backed a separatist insur- even as more military per- sia continuing to build up in the day on efforts to de-
with German Chancellor gency in the country's east. sonnel have been passing combat forces and other escalate Ukraine-Russian
Olaf Scholz, Putin said the More Russian troops loom through village streets. capabilities, including field tensions, according to the
West agreed to discuss a over Ukraine in Belarus, "We are friends with hospitals. They said there White House. The U.S. "re-
ban on missile deployment where they were deployed Ukraine," said villager Lyud- are "some signs of a diplo- mains open to high-level
to Europe, restrictions on for sweeping joint drills. mila Nechvolod. "We are matic opening" and they diplomacy in close coordi-
military drills and other con- A U.S. defense official, who really on the border, we re- believe Putin still has not nation with our allies," ac-
fidence-building measures spoke on condition of ano- ally have relatives here and made a final decision to in- cording to an administra-
— issues that Moscow had nymity to discuss internal there, everyone has some- vade but has all the capa- tion statement. "The United
put on the table years ago. deliberations, said Penta- body there (on the Ukrai- bilities in place. States continues to believe
He said Russia is open to gon analysts are review- nian side). No one wants A U.S. defense official said diplomacy and de-escala-
discuss "some of those ele- ing the Russian withdrawal war." small numbers of Russian tion are the best path for-
ments," but added that it claims. Western officials who ground units have been ward, but is prepared for
would only do that "in com- Ukraine expressed skepti- briefed The Associated moving out of larger as- every scenario."q
plex with the main issues cism about Russia's state-
that are of primary impor- ments on the pullback.
tance for us." "We won't believe when we
Asked if there could be a hear, we'll believe when we
war in Europe, Putin said see. When we see troops
Russia doesn't want it but pulling out, we'll believe in
said Ukraine's bid to join de-escalation," Ukrainian
NATO posed a major secu- Foreign Minister Dmytro
rity threat to his country. Kuleba said.
While Scholz reiterated that NATO Secretary-General
NATO's eastward expan- Jens Stoltenberg said that
sion "is not on the agenda "so far, we have not seen
-- everyone knows that ... any signs of reduced
very well," Putin retorted Russian military presence
that Moscow will not be on the borders of Ukraine,"
assuaged by such assur- adding that the alliance
ances. wants to see a "significant
"They are telling us it won't and enduring withdrawal
happen tomorrow," Putin of forces, troops, and not
said. "Well, when will it hap- least the heavy equip-
pen? The day after tomor- ment."
row? What does it change British Foreign Secretary Liz
for us in the historic per- Truss reiterated the inva-
spective? Nothing." sion danger still exists. Nor-
He went on to argue NATO wegian Foreign Minister
expansion violates the prin- Anniken Huitfeldt issued a
ciple of the indivisibility of similar warning, and Esto-
security enshrined in inter- nia's foreign intelligence
national documents. agency said the Russian
"We want to solve this issue armed forces could launch
now as part of negotiation an operation "from the sec-
process through peace- ond half of February."
ful means," Putin said. "We Few Russians expect a war,
very much hope that our following the Kremlin's dis-
partners hear our concerns missal of Western warnings
and take them seriously." as "hysteria" and "absur-
Scholz also said diplomatic dity."
options are "far from ex- In a village in Russia's Bel-
hausted," and praised the gorod region about 30 ki-