2/20/22
The Kremlin on Sunday used a telephone call between Russian President Vladimir Putin and French President Emmanuel Macron to broadcast an array of provocative, unproven allegations of belligerence by Ukraine and NATO countries, insisting the West was “pushing Kyiv towards a military solution to the so-called Donbass problem.” Moscow’s unfounded claims, put forward while Russia has mobilized more than 190,000 troops and sophisticated weapons on the Ukrainian border, sharply raised the danger that Putin might use fabricated charges to justify a military attack. The Kremlin, in its summary of Putin’s first call with Macron on Sunday, said the Russian president had referred to an evacuation of civilians currently underway in the occupied areas of Donbass, which even some residents there have called unjustified. Separatist leaders, in urging civilians to flee, had claimed that an attack by the Ukrainian military was imminent. In fact, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has repeatedly said his troops are under orders to show maximum restraint and not create the pretext for a Russian invasion.
“We believe that Putin has made his decision. Period,” U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris told reporters just before leaving Munich for Washington. Her comments chimed with remarks by British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who said that Russia is planning the biggest war in Europe since 1945. “People need to understand the sheer cost in human life that could entail,” he told the BBC in an interview broadcast Sunday. European Council President Charles Michel said Sunday that “if there is further military aggression, we will react with massive sanctions. The cost for Russia must be, and will be, severe.” But he added: “Let’s be frank — it will also be a cost for us, in Europe. Questioned on the European Union’s defense capabilities and commitment to Ukraine, top EU diplomat Josep Borrell insisted the bloc has been Ukraine’s strongest partner and has already provided €17 billion in aid in exchange for reforms. The relationship is “truly comprehensive,” Borrell said. “There’s no country where we spend more money and have stronger ties in all areas.” European foreign ministers are scheduled to meet in Brussels on Monday, with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba set to brief ministers.
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