The United States and the West continue to incite an escalation of the crisis, and the British and Russian foreign ministers will be criticized for "deaf-mute dialogue"

Source: Global Times

[Global Times reporter Li Linjia Liu Zhi] The game between Russia and the West over the tension in Ukraine continues to play out. On the 10th, Russia and Belarus began to hold an 11-day large-scale military exercise. The U.S. has accused the exercise of escalating current tensions. The Kremlin said the exercise was held to address threats to the security of both countries. On the same day, Ukraine also began to hold exercises at several training grounds, mainly using weapons provided by Western countries. The United States, Britain, and other countries continue to incite escalation of tensions.

The Russian Ministry of Defense website released a notice on the 10th that Russia and Belarus began to hold the "Alliance Determination-2022" joint military exercise in Belarus on the same day, and the exercise will last until February 20. The circular said: The military exercise was held in accordance with the established arrangements of the two countries, with the aim of accomplishing the tasks of stopping and countering external aggression, combating terrorism, and protecting the interests of the coalition countries in defensive operations. The exercise included strengthening the protection of the national border, preventing the infiltration of militants, cutting off the channels of arms and ammunition delivery, and searching, blocking and eliminating illegal armed groups and enemy sabotage and reconnaissance groups. The Eastern Military District of Russia and the command bodies of the Armed Forces of Belarus and related units participated in the exercise. The briefing did not disclose the number of personnel and equipment involved in the exercise. Gerasimov, chief of the general staff of the Russian armed forces, arrived in Belarus on the 9th to inspect the preparations of the Russian troops. Russian presidential press secretary Peskov said on the 9th that President Putin will not attend the exercise-related activities. Russian troops will leave Belarus after the joint exercises and return to their original positions.

Ukraine also launched an 11-day military exercise on the 10th. According to the Ukrainian State News Agency reported on the 10th, Ukrainian Defense Minister Leznikov said on the same day that the Ukrainian army will use weapons and equipment provided by the United States and the European Union during the exercise, including the "Flag Bearer" unmanned aerial vehicle, the American "Javelin" and the Swedish NLAW portable anti-tank missile for live fire. Live-fire will be carried out at ranges in various regions of Ukraine. Reznikov also did not disclose the specific number of people participating in the exercises, as well as whether there were foreign military instructors.

It is worth noting that the United States and the West have recently continued to send weapons and equipment to Ukraine. Reznikov posted a message on his social media on the 9th that the 9th and 10th batches of military aid from the United States have arrived in Ukraine in the afternoon and evening of the same day, respectively. The ninth consignment of military aid included ammunition weighing more than 80 tons. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Kureba said on the 9th that Kiev has recently received various types of support from Western partners, with a total value of more than 1.5 billion US dollars and a weight of more than 1,000 tons of weapons and equipment. According to the Ukrainian State News Agency reported on the 10th, Lithuanian Prime Minister Jimonit, who is visiting Ukraine, said on the same day that the "Stinger" man-portable air defense missile system provided by Li will be delivered to Kiev in the near future, in addition, Li will also send more military instructors to Ukraine.

Britain and the United States continue to create tensions in the situation between Russia and Ukraine. According to Reuters reported on the 10th, British Prime Minister Johnson held a joint press conference with NATO Secretary-General Stoltenberg on the same day, saying that with the military exercises held by Russia and Belarus, the next few days may be the most dangerous moment in the Ukrainian crisis. "Honestly, I don't think Moscow has yet made a decision on whether to invade (Ukraine)." "But that doesn't mean catastrophic things aren't going to happen anytime soon." According to our intelligence, I am afraid that the situation is still grim ... I would say that in the coming days, it may be the most dangerous time for Europe to face the biggest security crisis in decades, and we must deal with it correctly. I believe that the combination of sanctions, military and diplomatic means is the solution. ”

British Foreign Secretary Traus visited Russia on the 10th and met with Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov. At a "tense atmosphere" news conference after the talks, Lavrov said he was disappointed because the talks were like "a conversation between a dumb and deaf person," according to the British newspaper The Independent. "We seemed to be listening, but we didn't hear anything." Lavrov said Moscow and NATO have yet to find common ground on NATO's non-expansion. Threats to Moscow by Western countries through ideology, ultimatums, and threats have not helped to ease tensions in Ukraine. It is regrettable that the West has demanded that Russia withdraw its troops from its own territory. Tras insisted: "I was certainly not silent in our discussions, I presented a British perspective on the current situation and sought to prevent a Russian invasion of Ukraine." ”

British Foreign Secretary Tras Infographic. Image source Visual China

White House press secretary Psaki told reporters on the 9th that the United States believes that the Russian-Belarusian military exercises are aimed at intensifying the conflict in Ukraine. "I think if you look at the preparations for these military exercises, we would certainly think of it as an operation aimed at escalating, not easing the situation." Psaki also said the U.S. government believes Americans should leave Ukraine for security reasons, but has no plans for a large-scale evacuation in the event of escalating tensions. The Wall Street Journal reported on the 10th that the White House has approved a plan for the Pentagon, and once Russia launches an "attack", the US military in Poland will help thousands of Americans flee Ukraine, because the Biden administration hopes to avoid repeating the mistakes of the chaotic withdrawal operation in Afghanistan.