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“Have no other choice”: During Blinken’s visit – Baerbock threatens Russia with “serious consequences”

2022-01-21T04:25:50.283Z


“Have no other choice”: During Blinken’s visit – Baerbock threatens Russia with “serious consequences” Created: 01/21/2022 05:07 By: Bedrettin Bölükbasi, Cindy Boden US President Biden wanted to make his position clear to his Russian colleague Putin in the Ukraine conflict. One statement, however, causes confusion. US President Joe Biden* wanted to clearly warn Russia of an invasion of Ukraine


“Have no other choice”: During Blinken’s visit – Baerbock threatens Russia with “serious consequences”

Created: 01/21/2022 05:07

By: Bedrettin Bölükbasi, Cindy Boden

US President Biden wanted to make his position clear to his Russian colleague Putin in the Ukraine conflict.

One statement, however, causes confusion.

  • US President Joe Biden* wanted to clearly warn Russia of an invasion of Ukraine*, but a statement at the press conference caused a lot of confusion

    (see first report)

    .

  • Federal Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock * threatened Russia * with "serious consequences" in the event of an attack on Ukraine

    (see update from January 20, 2:45 p.m.).

  • US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken also warned Russia of another invasion and also threatened "quick and massive consequences"

    (see update from January 20, 3:20 p.m.).

  • This news ticker is continuously updated.

Update from January 20, 6:30 p.m .:

After irritation about his statements about a possible Russian invasion of Ukraine, US President Joe Biden made it clear that every border crossing by Russian troops into Ukraine should be considered an invasion.

The Democrat said in Washington: "Any assembled Russian unit that moves across the Ukrainian border - that is an invasion." Biden emphasized that Russia would pay a "heavy price" if it invaded.

In addition, Donald Trump's successor stated: "Russia has a long history of using measures other than overt military action to carry out aggression." Therefore: "We must be prepared to react to these as well."

US sanctions four current and former Ukrainian officials

Update January 20, 5:15 p.m .:

The US Treasury Department has imposed sanctions on a total of four current and former Ukrainian officials for their “participation in Russian activities to destabilize Ukraine”.



According to a written press release from the ministry, those sanctioned include MPs Taras Kozak and Oleh Voloshyn, and former officials Volodymyr Oliynyk and Vladimir Sivkovich. These four individuals would be under the orders of Russia's FSB secret service and would play a role "in Russian campaigns to destabilize sovereign states," the finance ministry said. Accordingly, Kozak controls various news channels in Ukraine and supports the FSB's plans to denigrate the inner circle of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyj.



"Russian intelligence agencies, including the FSB, are recruiting key Ukrainian citizens to gain access to sensitive information, threaten Ukraine's sovereignty, and then use those Ukrainian officials to create instability in the run-up to a Russian invasion," it said in the statement from the Ministry of Finance.

Update from January 20, 4:50 p.m .:

Amid high tensions in the Ukraine conflict, Russia’s army now wants to hold large-scale maneuvers in the Mediterranean, the Atlantic and the North Sea in the next few weeks. More than 140 warships were involved, the Ministry of Defense in Moscow said, according to the Interfax agency. More than 10,000 soldiers will therefore be sent to the various exercises that are planned until the end of February. In addition, more than 60 aircraft are in use. "The exercises extend to the seas bordering Russian territory and to operationally important areas of the world's oceans," the ministry said.

In addition to the North Sea, the Sea of ​​Okhotsk in the Arctic and northern areas of the Atlantic were also mentioned. Details were not initially given. The aim is training to protect Russia's national interests in the world's oceans and to ward off military threats, it said. A maneuver has already begun with China and Iran in the Gulf of Oman south of Iran. According to information from Moscow, this exercise should last until next Saturday.

Update from January 20, 4:10 p.m .:

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyj commented on US President Joe Biden’s distinction between a “minor incursion” by Russian troops into Ukraine and a full-scale invasion. "We want to remind the great powers that there are no small incursions or small nations," Zelenskyy wrote on Twitter. In addition, there are "no small losses and little suffering due to the loss of loved ones," said the Ukrainian head of state. "I say this as the President of a great power," he wrote, along with the Ukrainian flag at the end of his message.

"It's one thing if it's a minor intrusion," Biden said earlier, shocking Ukrainian officials in particular.

A representative told the broadcaster

CNN

that this was a “green light to enter Ukraine at will”.

Ukraine conflict: Blinken warns Russia of 'quick and massive consequences'

Update from January 20, 3:20 p.m.:

"While we continue to follow this diplomatic path, we also make it clear that should Russia choose the path of further aggression, we will initiate swift and massive consequences," Blinken warns.

There is also agreement on this, according to the US Secretary of State.

Here he refers to the statement by Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who also spoke of the consequences of an attack on Ukraine.

The US will continue to consider the interests of European partners and allies like Germany.



Blinken also brought up Nord Stream 2.

He and Annalena Baerbock again underlined the close cooperation regarding Ukraine's energy security.

In addition, it was also confirmed that they wanted to prevent Russia from using energy as a weapon.

"We also have to note that no gas is flowing through Nord Stream 2 yet, which means that the pipeline is a lever for Germany, the US and our European partners, but not for Russia," Blinken points out.

Update from January 20, 3:10 p.m.:

After Baerbock, her American counterpart Anthony Blinken is now speaking. At meetings with Russia, the common goal of Germany and the United States was to find a diplomatic way to de-escalate tensions. These occurred due to the accumulation of Russian troops on the border with Ukraine. In addition, the aim was to deal not with aggression but through dialogue with "legitimate security concerns" of Russia, the US and Europe. "In the meetings over the last few weeks, we have been firm on our principles and clear on the areas where we can make progress with Russia should Russia get involved," Blinken said. Discussions with Moscow were "honest and direct". In addition, they would have given the US, their ally,but also given Russia food for thought.

Update from January 20, 2:55 p.m .:

Even if measures against Russia “sometimes only mean millimeter steps of movement”, they will be enforced together because they would lead to more security, Baerbock said at the press conference with Blinken. The NATO Secretary General had invited further meetings of the NATO-Russia Council, said Baerbock. "Yes, it's all tough," admits the Foreign Minister. But after two years of speechlessness, these developments are "a good and important signal that there are further talks now". Baerbock draws attention to the Normandy format again. It is one of the four important strands of dialogue these days, which is why she and her French counterpart Le Drian will continue to fill this format with life.

Annalena Baerbock, Federal Foreign Minister, and Antony Blinken, Foreign Minister of the United States of America, at a joint press conference in Berlin on January 20, 2022.

© Florian Gaertner / Imago

Update from January 20, 2:45 p.m .:

The press conference between Federal Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock and her American counterpart Anthony Blinken has begun.

First, Baerbock takes the floor and comments on the meeting.

This week made it clear "that both the talk diplomacy on the subject of Russia and Ukraine and the coordination between us could not be more intensive".

This was finally agreed at the meeting in Washington DC.



Today's meeting was used "as partners and friends to take stock and to discuss the next steps and to jointly determine our positions here," explains Baerbock. There is agreement that the only way out of the crisis is the political way, which only leads through dialogue. However, Russian behavior continues to speak “a different language”. "Activities of concern" would increase. Here, the Foreign Minister cites the Russian troop transfer to Belarus as an example.



“We urge Russia to take de-escalation steps.

Any further aggressive attitude, any further aggressiveness would have serious consequences,” Baerbock clarifies again.

This is about preserving the European peace order: "That's why we have no choice but to stand up for them and protect them with a protective shield."

This also applies if these measures have economic consequences.

Ukraine conflict: Biden causes huge irritation when Putin warns - Navalny makes him look ridiculous

Update from January 20, 1:25 p.m .:

In view of the increasing tensions in the Ukraine conflict, the United States has approved the delivery of US-made weapons for Ukraine at the request of the Baltic States. The United States wants to "accelerate the approved transfers of military equipment from the United States by other allies," said a representative of the US State Department in Berlin, where chief diplomat Antony Blinken discussed the Ukraine crisis with his European colleagues.

"European allies have what they need to provide additional security assistance to Ukraine in the coming days and weeks," the official said. The approval comes at the urgent request of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, AFP news agency learned from another source familiar with the incident. The scope and type of weapons involved was not disclosed. Among other things, the Baltic States have man-portable anti-aircraft missiles of the Javelin type, which can destroy tanks.

Lithuania's Defense Minister Arvydas Anusauskas confirmed planned arms deliveries to Ukraine when asked by AFP. "We have decided to send weapons and other supplies, but I cannot give details," he said. The move aims to "deter" Russia from a possible invasion and shows Lithuania's "continued support" for Kiev.


Update from January 20, 1:15 p.m .:

EU Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen warned Russia of a miscalculation in the Ukraine conflict. For Russia, economic relations with the EU are "much more important" than vice versa, emphasized von der Leyen at an online event of the World Economic Forum (WEF). "Should the situation deteriorate and should there be further attacks on Ukraine's territorial integrity, we will respond with massive economic and financial sanctions," said the head of the EU Commission.

The EU is "by far Russia's most important trading partner" and also the "biggest investor" in the country, emphasized von der Leyen. “And yes, this trade relationship is important to us. But it is much more important for Russia," von der Leyen said, adding: "We hope there will be no attack," von der Leyen emphasized. "But if that happens, we're prepared."

Update from January 20, 11:30

a.m

.:

The Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny, who was imprisoned in Russia, warned the West in the course of the Ukraine conflict of a “trap” by the Russian ruler Vladimir Putin.

“The West keeps falling into these elementary traps set by Putin.

He makes crazy, ridiculous demands like his latest and how he and Biden must sit in a smoke-filled room deciding the fate of Europe as if we were in 1944.

And if the US doesn't agree, he will do something," the opposition

activist

wrote in a letter to

Time

magazine.

“Rather than ignore this nonsense, the US accepts Putin's agenda and rushes off to organize a few meetings. Just like a frightened schoolboy being bullied by a high school student,” Navalny criticized the actions of the United States. In Navalny's opinion, Kremlin chief Putin fears not so much NATO in front of Russia's borders, but rather a change of power. "In order to consolidate the country and the elites, Putin constantly needs all these extreme measures, all these wars - real, virtual, hybrid or just confrontations on the brink of war." Navalny opined that linking the threat of Western sanctions in the event of a invasion of Ukraine is part of Putin's strategy to avoid becoming the target of personal punitive measures. He suggested,that the US is pressuring the Kremlin from the outside and its supporters in Russia the Kremlin from the inside. In his opinion, this could split the elites around Putin.

Update January 20, 9:30 am:

The Russian delegation to the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) warned the West not to accept Russia's proposals regarding security guarantees. "There will come a moment of truth when the West will either accept our proposals or we will find other ways to guarantee Russia's security," head of the Russian delegation Konstantin Gavrilov told the Russian state news agency

TASS

reported.

He is sure that with good will and compromises in every situation it is possible to find a solution acceptable to all parties. However, the time window for this is getting smaller and smaller. "The countdown has started," underscored the Russian diplomat at the OSCE.

Update from January 20, 9:20 a.m .:

The Russian Foreign Ministry commented on US President Joe Biden’s press conference and also attacked the questions asked by journalists. This would amount to "criminal negligence," said Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova, as reported by the Russian state news agency

TASS

. “It's amazing how American journalists at Biden's press conference talk about a Russian attack on Ukraine with all certainty, but pretend they've never heard about NATO expansion, or about the provocations of the Kiev regime, or about Washington's support ' the spokeswoman said, adding, 'I think this is criminal negligence.'

Zakharova also commented on the delivery of British anti-tank missiles to Ukraine. "For several days, Britain has been delivering arms to Ukraine using military transport aircraft from its own air force," the diplomat said. At least six such flights totaling 460 tons of weapons have been registered, she claimed, urging the West again to halt supplies to Ukraine.

Update from January 20, 9.15 a.m .:

According to the Russian ambassador in Berlin, the deployment of Russian troops near Ukraine is a reaction to western arms deliveries to Kiev. Sergei Nechayev told the

Northern Courier

: "We are reacting to the fact that Ukraine is being saturated with weapons by our Western interlocutors." He added that this is Russia's "absolute right". "It's not a threat, it's a normal situation."

There are also a lot of Ukrainian military exercises near the border.

In Romania and Poland, NATO is installing missile systems that threaten Russia.

"These weapons are interpreted by the West as defensive systems, but they can be turned into offensive systems very quickly," Nechayev told the newspaper.

President Vladimir Putin has made it clear several times that these missiles only need a few minutes to fly to the most important centers in Russia.

"We need firm guarantees for our security, anchored on paper in international law," said the ambassador.

Ukraine conflict: Biden wants to issue a clear warning to Putin - but causes a stir: "disaster"

First report:

Kiev/Moscow - how exactly does he mean that?

US President Joe Biden caused irritation with statements about a possible Russian invasion of Ukraine.

At a press conference in the White House on Wednesday (local time), the US Democrat appeared to imply that the threat of NATO sanctions could depend on the extent of a potential Russian invasion.

"It's one thing when it's a minor intrusion," Biden said.

"But if they actually do what they are able to do with the forces gathered at the border, it will be catastrophic for Russia."

Ukraine conflict: Ukraine 'shocked' by Biden statement

The US broadcaster CNN quoted an unnamed Ukrainian government official as saying he was "shocked that US President Biden distinguished between intrusion and invasion".

This gives Russian President Vladimir Putin * "the green light to invade Ukraine at will".

Republican Senator Lindsey Graham was "stunned" by Biden's statement.

The US President had answered questions from journalists at a press conference on his first year in office.

White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki sought clarification shortly after Biden's appearance. "President Biden has made it clear to the Russian President that if Russian forces move across the Ukrainian border, it will be another invasion, and the United States and our allies will respond quickly, harshly, and as one," Psaki said. However, the US President knows that Russia has "an extensive range of instruments for aggression" below the threshold of military action - for example cyber attacks and paramilitary tactics. Biden has reiterated that even such aggression by Russians “will be met with a resolute, mutual, and collective response.”

Biden spokeswoman must clarify statement on Ukraine conflict - "No child's play for Russia"

President of the United States Joe Biden speaks during a press conference in the East Room of the White House.

© Susan Walsh/dpa

Referring to the tough sanctions threatened by the US and its allies, Biden said an invasion would not be "child's play" for Russia.

Militarily, Russia has an "overwhelming superiority" over Ukraine.

"But if they do, they will pay a heavy price.

Immediate, short-term, medium-term and long-term.” He suspected that Russian soldiers would invade Ukraine, but did not believe that Putin wanted “a full-fledged war”.

Putin wants to put the West to the test, but underestimates the consequences.

For months, the United States and NATO have accused Russia of planning an attack on Ukraine.

Russia denies this every day.

Above all, Russia wants to use the deployment near Ukraine to create a threatening backdrop because it says it sees itself increasingly threatened by NATO expansion.

Moscow is demanding binding security guarantees from the West.

(dpa/cibo) *Merkur.de is an offer from IPPEN.MEDIA.

Source: merkur

All news articles on 2022-01-21

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