Russia, on the other hand, denied the allegations. Following the US allegations that Russia was trying to create a pretext for invading Ukraine, Britain also accused Russia of conducting a disinformation campaign against Ukraine. British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss stated that in this way, Russia will destabilize Ukraine and justify its occupation. “Russia should put an end to its aggression, reduce tensions and be open to serious talks,” Truss said in a post on his Twitter account.
Accusation of making “excuses” from the USA
In the statements made by the US government on Friday, it was claimed that Russia was trying to create a pretext to invade Ukraine.
Confirming the news of CNN television in this direction upon a question, White House Spokesperson Jen Psaki repeated her words as “We are concerned that the Russian government is preparing an invasion of Ukraine.” Claiming that as part of these plans, Russia has created a “pretext” to invade Ukraine, Psaki said that this includes “acts of sabotage and information operations” that will blame Ukraine. Psaki suggested that Russia plans to start these actions before the “military invasion that may begin in mid-January to mid-February”.
“We have information indicating that Russia has deployed agents in the region to carry out deceptive operations in eastern Ukraine,” said Psaki, adding that “the agents were trained in urban warfare and explosive use” to carry out “sabotage” against Russia’s own forces. Pointing to the humanitarian problems in Ukraine, Psaki stated that “false information”, which is blamed on the West for the tension in the region, was spread on social media and in the media, and noted that the number of posts in question increased by 200 percent in December. Psaki stated that similar actions were observed before 2014 when Russia annexed Crimea.
Russia denies the allegations
Russia, on the other hand, denied the US allegations that it was trying to create a pretext to invade Ukraine.
“Again, as always, there is no evidence,” the Russian Embassy in Washington said in a statement on Saturday, stating that the United States often spreads sensational news without any basis. In the statement of the Russian Embassy, it was emphasized that such allegations made about Russia at the official level and in the media in the USA are “groundless”, and it was stated that “it is not possible to confirm”.
In the statement, “Russia is against war. We are in favor of a diplomatic solution to all diplomatic problems.”
Diplomacy failed.
Western countries, reacting to Russia’s military activity on the Ukrainian border, are concerned about the possibility of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. It is stated that Russia has deployed up to 100,000 soldiers to the border region.
Diplomatic talks at various levels last week to overcome Ukrainian tensions between Russia and the United States and other Western countries were inconclusive.
The NATO-Russia Council, which convened for the first time on Wednesday after a long break in the shadow of the Ukrainian tension, did not come up with any results that would ease the tension between the parties. NATO rejected Russia’s demands, such as a guarantee of security and a halt to NATO enlargement. While the meeting within the body of the Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) was inconclusive, no progress was made in the diplomatic talks between the USA and Russia held in Geneva at the beginning of the week.
It is stated that diplomatic talks will continue next week. In this context, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock and her French counterpart, Jean Yves Le Drian, will hold talks first in Moscow and then in Eastern Ukraine to reduce tensions.
AFP,dpa/JD,AI
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