12-11-21, 11:03
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#10
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re: Russias' New COLD WAR is Dangerous-Deploys 700 Snipers at Ukraine Border
Russias' New Cold War is at Its Most Dangerous
Prepare for Russian invasion of Ukraine, US warns European allies
Tens of thousands of troops massed on the border, Washington officials tell EU counterparts
The Telegraph 12 NOV 2021.
AMERICA'S NEW COLD WAR WITH RUSSIA
WHAT ARE THE STAKES?
The U.S. is raising the alarm with European Union allies that Russia may be weighing a potential invasion of Ukraine as tensions flare between Moscow and the bloc over migrants and energy supplies.
With Washington closely monitoring a buildup of Russian forces near the Ukrainian border, U.S. officials have briefed EU counterparts on their concerns over a possible military operation, according to multiple people familiar with the matter. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov Friday dismissed the report as “empty and unfounded efforts to exacerbate tensions.”
The assessments are believed to be based on information the U.S. hasn’t yet shared with European governments, which would have to happen before any decision is made on a collective response, the people said. They’re backed up by publicly-available evidence, according to officials familiar with the administration’s thinking.
A White House official said Thursday evening that the U.S. was consulting with allies over the buildup. Russia says military deployments on its territory are an internal matter and it denies any aggressive intentions, while accusing the U.S. of provocation by sailing warships in the Black Sea close to its territory.
The ruble weakened on the news, slipping 0.5% against the dollar toward its first weekly loss in three. Ruble bonds fell for a second day, with the yield on 10-year debt climbing three basis points to 8.07%. Stocks headed for their biggest drop in two weeks.
Similar tensions erupted in the spring when the U.S. and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization accused Russia of massing as many as 100,000 troops, tanks and warplanes near the border with Ukraine. The crisis eased after U.S. President Joe Biden called Russian President Vladimir Putin and offered a summit that took place in June.
Russia’s latest movement of troops and tanks toward Ukraine spurred CIA Director Bill Burns to visit Moscow this month, where he spoke by phone with Putin. Germany’s Angela Merkel, Putin’s main interlocutor in Europe, also asked him on Wednesday to use his influence with Russia’s ally Belarus to defuse a crisis over thousands of Middle East migrants seeking to cross the border with Poland into the EU. Putin declined. They spoke again on Thursday.
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