On February 17, local time, the United Nations Security Council held a meeting on the Ukraine crisis, at which US Secretary of State Blinken asked Russia to make a clear statement that it would not invade Ukraine, which was proved by the withdrawal of troops.
While continuing to accuse Russia of fabricating "invasion pretexts," Blinken also proposed a "no-go" diplomatic meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov next week, saying it could prompt talks between the leaders of the United States and Russia.
Regarding these statements of the US side, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Vershinin refuted them at the meeting. Versinin said russian troops had withdrawn from the border after the exercises, and that the "invasion allegations" of the United States and its allies were baseless and were shifting responsibility for Ukraine. He pointed out that it was the Ukrainian side that violated the Minsk Agreement in the Eastern Region.
At the same time, Ambassador Zhang Jun, Permanent Representative of China to the United Nations, elaborated on China's position on the current situation in Ukraine at the meeting, stressing that the settlement of the Ukrainian issue should return to the origin of the implementation of the new Minsk agreement. China pointed out that all parties concerned should remain rational, adhere to the general direction of political settlement, and refrain from doing anything that stimulates tension or hypes up the crisis.
At present, US President Biden has made the latest statement on the situation in Ukraine, still insisting that the possibility of Russia "invading" Ukraine is still "very high". In the diplomatic field, the confrontation is still continuing, and Russia has also given its written response to the Written Reply previously submitted by the United States on the issue of security and security, and Russia has expelled the deputy director of the US Embassy in Russia.
Screenshot of the Wall Street Journal report
"Will not invade Ukraine"? Blinken demanded a clear commitment from the Russian side
According to Agence France-Presse and the Wall Street Journal reported on February 17 local time, before flying to Germany to attend this year's Munich security conference, US Secretary of State Blinken attended a meeting on the issue of Ukraine in the United Nations Security Council. He reiterated what the U.S. side called "concerns" that Russia might create "some kind of provocative act" and used it as an excuse to launch a military attack on Ukraine "in the coming days."
Blinken said russia should commit to de-escalating tensions if it seeks peace. "The Russian government today would like to make an unequivocal announcement that Russia will not invade Ukraine, which is clearly stated to the world. Then prove it by sending your troops, tanks, and planes back to barracks and warehouses, and sending your diplomats back to the negotiating table. ”
Blinken speaks at the United Nations Security Council pictured from the US media
Blinken cited information from U.S. intelligence agencies to make up a hypothesis that Russia could "concoct" an excuse to invade and then bomb Ukraine, launch cyberattacks on it, and send troops to occupy the country. He claimed that conventional attacks were not russia's overall plan, and that "we have information that Russia is targeting specific groups in Ukraine." However, Blinken did not provide details on this.
He also acknowledged that many people questioned the claims of the U.S. intelligence agencies, "but I want to make it clear that I am not here today to start a war, but to stop it." Blinken said: "The information I have provided here has been confirmed by the facts that we have seen with our own eyes over the past few months. ”
The Wall Street Journal reported that Blinken also revealed at the meeting that he had invited Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov to Europe next week for further meetings. "These meetings can pave the way for key leaders to convene summits against a backdrop of easing tensions and reach an understanding of our shared security concerns." Blinken said.
Blinken hyped up the "invasion argument", and the Russian side refuted the US accusations
According to reports, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Versinin, who also attended the meeting, did not respond to Blinken's proposal for a meeting, while refuting the claim that "Russia is ready to invade Ukraine." "The day before yesterday, some [Russian] troops were returning to their bases in Russia after the exercise, he said. ”
Previously, the Russian Defense Ministry issued a statement on February 16 saying that after the Russian army ended the exercise, it took a train across the Crimea Bridge to return to russia's permanent station, and the Russian military subsequently released a video in which a train carrying tanks, infantry fighting vehicles and self-propelled guns passed through the Crimea Bridge.
However, the United States and NATO insist that there is no sign of de-escalation in Russia and Ukraine, claiming that Russia appears to be continuing to increase its troops. On February 16, another U.S. "anonymous senior official" told the Associated Press and other media that the Russian army not only did not withdraw, but instead sent 7,000 additional soldiers to the border, some of whom arrived at the border on February 16.
Versinen speaks at the United Nations Security Council pictured from the US media
In addition, in response to Blinken's series of statements at the UN Security Council meeting, Versinen said that Blinken's remarks about the "invasion" are dangerous, that Russian troops have withdrawn from the border after the military exercises, and that the United States and its European allies claim that Russia wants to fabricate the pretext of "invading" Ukraine is "baseless accusations" and is shifting responsibility for Ukraine.
Versinin pointed out that the current tension should be blamed on the Violation of the Minsk Agreement by the Ukrainian side. He said Ukraine's stubborn refusal to comply with the terms of the Minsk Agreement has repeatedly attacked the Donbass region in eastern Ukraine, killing thousands of people.
Earlier, according to the Russian News Agency and the Russian Satellite News Agency reported on February 17 local time, Russian-backed civilian armed forces in eastern Ukraine accused Ukrainian government forces of shelling their control areas on the same day, violating the Minsk Agreement aimed at ending the conflict in the region. According to the report, at 5:30 a.m. (10:30 Beijing time) that morning, Ukrainian government forces fired mortar shells and grenades and other weapons into four areas controlled by civilian armed forces in eastern Ukraine, a total of five times.
Reuters then reported that the Ukrainian military denied the Russian media's allegations that ukrainian troops launched attacks, and said that civilian armed forces in eastern Ukraine shelled ukrainian troops.
Screenshots of reports by Russian news agencies (above) and Reuters
Biden said that the "possibility of invasion is very high" and that the United States and Russia continue to play a diplomatic game
At the meeting on the same day, Rosemary DiCarlo, deputy secretary-general of the Un Political Department, said that the United Nations had taken note of reports of new ceasefire violations in the Wudong region in the past few hours, and she urged all parties to exercise restraint and not to escalate the situation if the reports were true.
Di Carlo said that the world simply cannot accept the possibility of a new conflict in Ukraine, and called on all parties to resolve the current situation in Ukraine through diplomatic mediation.
February 16 was originally the time of the "Russian invasion of Ukraine" hyped by the US government and some Western media, but on the 16th, the situation they claimed did not happen.
According to Reuters, on February 17, local time, US President Joe Biden made the latest statement on the situation in Ukraine. He said the likelihood of a Russian "invasion" of Ukraine remained "very high," but the door to a diplomatic solution remained open. In addition, he denied that there were plans to have a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
At the same time, the United States and Russia are still constantly fighting in the diplomatic field.
On February 17, local time, a spokesman for the U.S. Embassy in Russia told the Russian News Agency that Russia had deported Bart Gorman, deputy director of the U.S. Embassy in Russia. A State Department spokesman subsequently confirmed the matter.
Screenshot of the Russian news agency report
Gorman, deputy director of the U.S. Embassy in Russia
The Russian Foreign Ministry said on the same day that the U.S. ambassador to Russia, John Sullivan, had received a written response from Russia to Russia's previous response to the U.S. response to security concerns. The 11-page written response, published on the website of the Russian Foreign Ministry, stressed that if the United States cannot meet russia's security demands, it will be forced to respond, including military and technical measures.
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