Russia has now deployed enough soldiers to carry out a major military operation, estimates the national security adviser of the White House, judging that an offensive could begin any time in the coming days. While American, British and Norwegian nationals are called upon to leave Ukraine as soon as possible, Western leaders are continuing their diplomatic efforts.
Emmanuel Macron must have a new telephone conversation with Vladimir Poutine this Saturday noon, five days after his visit to the Kremlin. The Elysée advocates ” the diplomatic channel, dialogue and deterrence “. The White House has announced that Joe Biden will also speak with his Russian counterpart, an interview organized at the request of Washington, specifies the Kremlin.
The American president took part in a videoconference with several leaders of NATO countries, including France, Germany, the United Kingdom and Poland. On the menu: reprisals in the event of a military escalation: “ the allies are determined to jointly take swift and drastic sanctions against Russia in the event of further violations of the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine “, tweeted the spokesperson for the German chancellor.
Joe Biden shared alarmist information with his partners, then publicly announced by his national security adviser. Jake Sullivan referred to a ” very, very real possibility “Russian invasion” at any time “, even suggesting that it could take place during the Olympic Games, in other words by February 20.
Warning to US Nationals
He also issued an unequivocal warning to American nationals still present in Ukraine, reports our correspondent in Miami, David Thomson. ” Every American in Ukraine must leave within the next 24 to 48 hours. If you stay, you take the risk knowing that there will be no guarantee of being able to leave or any prospect of American military evacuation in the event of a Russian invasion. “.
Washington nevertheless clarified that it did not know whether Putin had already taken ” final decision » to invade Ukraine but American intelligence expects in any case a massive, rapid and deadly attack by the Russian army with Kiev as its objective. ” A Russian invasion will likely begin with aerial bombardments and missile attacks that will obviously kill civilians, regardless of nationality. The risk is high enough and the threat imminent enough to leave now. »
Washington renews its support for Kiev
The head of American diplomacy Antony Blinken also assured his Ukrainian counterpart of ” firm support “from the United States to Kiev” in the face of an increasingly acute threat of Russian invasion. The Secretary of State told Dmytro Kuleba over the phone that Ukraine continued to ” benefit from the enduring and unwavering support of the United States for its sovereignty and territorial integrity “.
On the side of Moscow, these American announcements irritate: in a press release, the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs accuses Western countries of trying to divert attention from their own aggressive actions and of spreading false information.
On Friday, the Kremlin noted that discussions bringing together the day before in Berlin representatives of Russia, Ukraine, Germany and France had not produced ” No result “.
► Read also: Ukrainian crisis: between military maneuvers and diplomatic blockage, tense weekend