Washington: The United States on Monday said that they do not trust the Russian President Vladamir Putin’s “final decision” on whether if to invade Ukarine but he could “with little or no warning”.
Regarding the crisis talk, Pentagon spokesman John Kirby told the reporters that US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin plans to leave for Europe on Tuesday.
Austin is expected to hold meeting with the NATO headquarters in Brussels and then visit Poland, wherein the United States plan to deploy 3,000 more troops,and Lithuania, he said.
While addressing the possible Russian invasion of Ukarine, Kirby said “we still don’t believe that some final decision has been made.”
Kirby added “Military action could happen any day, It is entirely possible that he could move with little to no warning.”
“At the Russian-Ukraine border there is no tangible sign of de-escalation”, the State Department spokesperson Ned Price said.
“We believe that there still remains a window to resolve this through dialogue and diplomacy,” he told reporters.
Quoting a “dramatic acceleration” in the buildup of Russian forces around Ukraine, Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced Monday that the United States is relocating its embassy in Kyiv to the western Ukrainian city of Lviv.
“The embassy will remain engaged with the Ukrainian government, coordinating diplomatic engagement in Ukraine,” he said. “We are also continuing our intensive diplomatic efforts to deescalate the crisis.”
Biken also “strongly urged” the US citizens to immediately evacuate themselves from Ukraine.
At the Pentagon, Kirby separately called out China over its implicit backing for Moscow in the high-stakes Ukrainian standoff.
“Their tacit support, if you will, for Russia is deeply alarming and frankly even more destabilizing to the security situation in Europe,” he said.
Kirby said Austin, the Pentagon chief, will meet with allied defense ministers and NATO leadership in Brussels to discuss Russia’s military buildup around Ukraine.
In Poland, he will meet with the Polish president and defense minister and visit US and Polish troops at Powidz Air Base.
In Lithuania, Austin will meet with Lithuanian leaders and jointly with the defense ministers of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia.
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