Russia prepares for yet another round of ‘terrible sanctions’
The U.S. has reached out to Russia in connection with the situation in southeastern Ukraine, said Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov.
The contacts took place "at a high level" and the U.S. side "expressed concern” about “Moscow’s actions”, Ryabkov said.
The Pentagon estimated that 4,000 troops and equipment were transferred to the border with Ukraine.
"We are carrying out on our territory, on Russian territory, those steps that we consider necessary," Ryabkov reiterated the Kremlin's position, adding: "We can say that we ignore these signals [from the Americans].”
But Russia’s public demonstration of the status of a great power is accompanied by a growing fear of U.S. retaliation. The list of reasons for this continues to grow.
"Everyone is waiting for some terrible sanctions, such as Russia being disconnected from SWIFT," a source in the Russian Parliament told the Russian newspaper Kommersant.
Last week, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff of the U.S. Army, General Mark Milley, General Mark Milley, held talks with Valery Gerasimov, Chief of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces.
"We have made it clear that we see threats from Russia and take them very, very seriously," Pentagon spokesman John Kirby later said.
He added that Washington would like Moscow to be "more open" about the troop movements. "While we have learned from the bitter experience to not take at face value the Russians' statements about their intentions," Kirby said.
NATO troops in the next few months will hold exercises in Ukraine, the scenario of which will be "to repel a large-scale offensive of the armed forces of the hypothetical aggressor country," the Ukrainian General Staff said.
"The defensive actions will transition to subsequent offensive to restore the state border and territorial integrity amid the aggression by the neighboring state," the Ukrainian General Staff said.