US President Joe Biden said Friday (December 3) to prepare a "
package of initiatives
" aimed at protecting Ukraine from a Russian attack, at a time when Kiev and Washington accuse Moscow of having massed troops on the border, and of conduct invasion preparations.
Read also According to Kiev and Washington, Russia could attack Ukraine this winter
The purpose of this set of initiatives is "
to make it very, very difficult for Vladimir Putin to do what people fear he will do,
" he said in a speech at the White House.
At the same time, Ukrainian Minister Oleksiï Reznikov estimated that “
the most likely period
” for the completion of Russian preparations for “major
escalation
” is the end of January.
According to him, around 100,000 Russian troops could participate in a possible offensive.
“
Escalation is a possible scenario, but not inevitable.
Our task is to prevent it
”, underlined the Minister.
Russia has already "
started military exercises near Ukraine
" and is "
testing its communications,
" he said.
"This is our land, we will hold out until the end"
Last week, Russian units in the Bryansk and Smolensk regions in northern Ukraine were "
reinforced with tanks and armor
", according to Oleksii Reznikov. In eastern Ukraine, in the grip of a war against pro-Russian separatists since 2014, Ukrainian soldiers interviewed by AFP ruled a Russian offensive possible. "
Our task is simple: not to let the enemy (advance) in our country,
" said Andriï, 29, smoking in a trench near the town of Svitlodarsk, in the Donetsk region. “
All our guys are ready to hold them back
”, added his comrade, Ievguen, 24, adding: “
This is our land, we will hold out until the end
”.
The two men reported an intensification of separatist fire on their positions in recent days.
An AFP journalist heard mortar fire from the separatists, followed by a response from the Kiev forces.
"
We were shot at with 82 mm caliber mortars, a dozen shells,
" said Ievguen, in a khaki uniform, helmet and bulletproof vest.
"
When we responded with the machine gun, we received grenade launcher fire
."
Read alsoUkraine at gunpoint while Russia masss troops at its border
According to Andriï, separatist shootings have become "
more frequent
".
“
We retaliate when we have the authorization.
And it's silence again
”.
For Yevgen, the movements of Russian troops on the border could be a means of pressure on Kiev.
For him, it is a question of "
simply showing that they are strong and that they can launch (an offensive) at any time
".