Putin’s Ultimatum to America

Publication: Eurasia Daily Monitor Volume: 18 Issue: 180 

By: Pavel Felgenhauer December 2, 2021

In the past several weeks, relations between Moscow and Washington nosedived, with multiple overlapping potential crises and increasingly toxic rhetoric aggravating an already dangerous situation. The Ukrainian crisis has been simmering to one degree or another since Russia took over Crimea in 2014 and sponsored a pro-Russian separatist uprising in Donbas; but recently, it has again taken center stage. United States officials accuse Russia of massing troops on the Ukrainian border and possibly preparing a major escalation or invasion for late January or February 2022—a charge Moscow has adamantly rejected. Still, Russian authorities and pro-Kremlin commentators in Moscow agree a major escalation of hostilities in the region is possible, but they accuse Ukraine and the West of foul play. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, speaking during a session of Russia’s Federation Council (upper house of parliament), denounced “Kyiv” for allegedly brazenly and aggressively threatening Russia. According to Lavrov, Ukraine is positioning troops and heavy weapons on the Russian border and in Donbas. The Russian foreign ministry contends that Ukraine has concentrated some 125,000 troops or over half of its army in Donbas and is preparing to attack (Izvestia, December 1). Russia may be forced to use its military in self-defense, Lavrov warns.

Moscow has simultaneously rebuked the US and its North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) allies for supposedly supplying the Ukrainians with weapons, of advancing military infrastructure in the country, building bases there, and sending military instructors and advisors. By advancing into Ukraine, the West (the US) is crossing a “red line” and disregarding legitimate Russian national security concerns. President Vladimir Putin declared that if the West deploys missiles to Ukraine that could reach Moscow “in five to ten minutes,” Russia is ready to counter by deploying a “new naval hypersonic missile, which may reach [Western] decision-makers in 5 minutes, flying at Mach 9 speed” (Militarynews.ru, November 30)...........To Read More....