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Zelenskyy slams Biden for testimony about "smaller intrusion" by Russia

2022-01-20T17:56:54.837Z


In the Ukraine conflict, US President Biden had distinguished between a possible “invasion” and a “minor intrusion” by Russia. People in Kiev were irritated – President Zelenskyy replied via Twitter.


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President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy

Photo: Efrem Lukatsky / dpa

Ukraine can usually count on the support of the West in view of the Russian troop build-up.

Now, however, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has indirectly rebuked US President Joe Biden.

At a press conference, he said that Russia could carry out a "smaller incursion" into Ukraine - this was often interpreted as if Biden wanted to make the threatened sanctions from NATO dependent on the extent of a potential Russian invasion.

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Biden's staff later tried to put this straight: "If Russian military units cross the border into Ukraine, it will be another invasion and there will be a swift, serious and united response from the US and our allies."

Selenskyi went into the incident on Twitter: "There is no such thing as a "smaller intrusion" into another country," he wrote.

"Just as there are no small sacrifices and no small grief over the loss of loved ones."

Biden was clearer on Thursday: He made it clear to Russian President Vladimir Putin that any movement of Russian troops into Ukraine would be considered an invasion and that Russia would pay a high price if it did. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg contradicted the statement that Biden's first statement gave Russia the green light for an invasion. "Not at all," he told CNN.

Russia has massed around 100,000 soldiers on the Ukrainian border in recent weeks.

In the West, therefore, an impending attack by Russia on the neighboring country is feared.

Biden had warned that Russian President Vladimir Putin "will move into" Ukraine.

He therefore warned his Russian colleagues of a "catastrophe" for his own country should there be a widespread invasion of the neighboring country.

Moscow rejected the allegation and accused Biden of escalating the situation with his words.

Russia annexed Ukraine's Crimea Peninsula in 2014.

The Ukrainian army has also been fighting pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine since 2014.

Kiev and the West accuse Moscow of providing military support to the separatists.

mrc/AFP

Source: spiegel

All news articles on 2022-01-20

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