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US will take 'swift and severe' action if Russia invades Ukraine, warns State Department
As many as 8,500 US troops have been put on alert for possible deployment to eastern Europe in response to Russian soldiers gathering on Ukraine’s border, Pentagon spokesman John Kirby has said.
US officials have warned that Russia could launch an imminent invasion of Ukraine.
The “bulk of” the thousands of troops placed on heightened alert are planned to bolster the 40,000 multinational Nato troops already in a number of eastern European countries near the border with Russia, Mr Kirby said.
But he stressed that no final decision to deploy the troops had been made.
Nato allies have said that they are putting forces on standby and sending additional ships and fighter jets to eastern Europe.
Meanwhile, the White House press secretary Jen Psaki has said that the US government is in the process of refining its military plans for all possible scenarios in the Ukraine-Russia crisis.
She told reporters that the US “has never ruled out” the option of providing assistance to countries on Nato’s eastern flank “in advance of any invasion” of Ukraine.
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Key Points Boris Johnson warns Vladmir Putin against invading Ukraine Nato sending more fighter jets and ships to Eastern Europe Biden considering sending thousands of troops to Eastern Europe, according to reports Russia has accused the West of “hysteria” and said Nato is stoking tensions
Show latest update 1643101877 UK defence minister: ‘Russian military associates already in Ukraine’
UK armed forces minister, James Heappey, has said that a “significant” number of individuals associated with “Russian military advance-force operations” are already in Ukraine.
Writing in a piece for The Sun newspaper, Mr Heappey said the UK government would “expose” Russian plans where “we see them”.
Russian forces now surround Ukraine from three sides
Holly Bancroft 25 January 2022 09:11
1643100350 Could sanctions deter Russia?
Jonathan Fisher QC of Bright Line Law said sanctions against Russia would be “far better than fighting wars or dropping bombs on people.”
“Politically, sanctions are being used as an instrument of foreign policy that has replaced the gunboat,” Mr Fisher said.
“But what difference do they make? It is true that sanctions are a nuisance. If Russia gets banned from access to the capital markets or banking systems, it will be a serious frustration for Putin and will impede the country’s development. Sanctions also have knock-on effects for ordinary members of the public, such as their access to services and goods and general financial wellbeing. Sanctions can also lead to rampant inflation (as we have seen recently in Iran) and all of this can be quite damaging.
“However, sanctions will rarely deliver a decisive blow. They do damage, but there aren’t many cases where they have effected the change in direction that those imposing the sanctions want to achieve. There will always be situations where the world doesn’t act as one, and there are a number of alternatives for Russia. It could, for example, turn to Shanghai and Hong Kong in place of New York and London. Countries will always look to alternatives, and the larger the country, the greater its ability to find those alternatives.
“In summary, sanctions will have an effect - but will they achieve the ultimate objective? That remains to be seen. They rarely deliver a knock-out blow.”
(Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)
Thomas Kingsley 25 January 2022 08:45
1643099450 Delay in creating new cybersecurity board prompts concern
It’s a key part of President Joe Biden’s plans to fight major ransomware attacks and digital espionage campaigns: creating a board of experts that would investigate major incidents to see what went wrong and try to prevent the problems from happening again — much like a transportation safety board does with plane crashes.
But eight months after Biden signed an executive order creating the Cyber Safety Review Board it still hasn’t been set up.
Some supporters of the new board say the delay could hurt national security and comes amid growing concerns of a potential conflict with Russia over Ukraine that could involve nation-state cyberattacks.
Read the full report below:
Delay in creating new cybersecurity board prompts concern A key part of President Joe Biden’s plans to fight major ransomware attacks and digital espionage campaigns has been languishing for more than eight months
Thomas Kingsley 25 January 2022 08:30
1643098550 Democrat says Tucker Carlson fans are calling wanting him to side with Russia as it threatens Ukraine
Tucker Carlson is increasingly inspiring Americans to side with Russia in the brewing Ukraine crisis, according to a US Congressman.
“My office is now getting calls from folks who say they watch Tucker Carlson and are upset that we’re not siding with Russia in its threats to invade Ukraine, and who want me to support Russia’s ‘reasonable’ positions,” Tom Malinowski, a Democratic former diplomat and current representative for New Jersey, wrote on Twitter on Monday.
Our reporter, Josh Marcus, has the full story below:
Democrat says Tucker Carlson fans want him to side with Russia over Ukraine Fox News host has questioned need for US to intervene in Russia-Ukraine conflict
Thomas Kingsley 25 January 2022 08:15
1643097650 West should stop ‘tip-toeing’ around Putin, says financier
Financier Bill Browder has said the west must stop “tip toeing” around Vladimir Putin and impose sanctions to prevent an invasion of Ukraine.
“All this tip-toeing around him [Putin] shows we’re weak and it will only endanger us further and draw us into an ugly mess with Vladimir Putin,” Mr Browder said.
The Hermitage Capital CEO urged the west to sanction Russian oligarchs to get Putin to “pay attention” and turn around on a possible Ukraine invasion.
(AP)
Thomas Kingsley 25 January 2022 08:00
1643096750 Explainer: What are US options for sanctions against Putin?
The financial options being considered to punish President Vladimir Putin if Russia invades Ukraine range from the sweeping to the acutely personal — from cutting Russia off from U.S. dollars and international banking to slapping sanctions on a former Olympic gymnast reported to be Putin’s girlfriend.
Publicly, the United States and European allies have promised to hit Russia financially like never before if Putin does roll his military into Ukraine. Leaders have given few hard details to the public, however, arguing it’s best to keep Putin himself guessing.
And weeks into the negotiations, it’s far from clear that Americans have succeeded in achieving U.S. and European consensus on what sanctions will be imposed, and what would trigger them.
Read the full story below:
EXPLAINER: What are US options for sanctions against Putin? The financial options being bruited about to punish President Vladimir Putin if Russia invades Ukraine range from the sweeping to the acutely personal
Thomas Kingsley 25 January 2022 07:45
1643096018 Boris Johnsons says intelligence suggests Russia is planning a ‘lightning war’ on Kyiv
Boris Johnson has said intelligence suggests Russia is planning a lightning raid on Kyiv, as he warned Vladimir Putin that invading Ukraine would be a “painful, violent and bloody business.”
The prime minister called the potential invasion of Ukraine, a “disastrous step,” which could see Russia pulled into a conflict that would lead to casualties on both sides.
Officials said that around half of the staff working in Kyiv will return to the UK.
(PA Wire)
Thomas Kingsley 25 January 2022 07:33
1643095262 Ukrainian envoy meet UN secretary general to discuss Russian threat
Permanent representative of Ukraine to the UN Sergey Kyslytsya met UN secretary general Antonio Guterres in New York to discuss attempts to de-escalate Russia’s attempts to invade Ukraine.
In a statement on Twitter, the Ukraine mission to UN said the meeting was held to “reiterate that any invasion is against int. law & discuss how SG’s good offices could help with de-escalation”.
Mr Kyslytsya also met German envoy Antje Leendertse to discuss Russia’s “aggressive actions”.
“Permanent Representative of @GermanyUN Antje Leendertse to discuss and coordinate response to the aggressive actions of Russia that pose a threat to regional and global security. All members of the #UN are affected,” the statement said.
Shweta Sharma 25 January 2022 07:21
1643094859 Democrat says Tucker Carlson inspiring Americans to side with Russia
Tucker Carlson is increasingly inspiring Americans to side with Russia in the brewing Ukraine crisis, according to a US Congressman.
“My office is now getting calls from folks who say they watch Tucker Carlson and are upset that we’re not siding with Russia in its threats to invade Ukraine, and who want me to support Russia’s ‘reasonable’ positions,” Tom Malinowski, a Democratic former diplomat and current representative for New Jersey, wrote on Twitter on Monday.
The Indpendent’s Josh Marcus has details.
Democrat says Tucker Carlson fans want him to side with Russia over Ukraine Fox News host has questioned need for US to intervene in Russia-Ukraine conflict
Shweta Sharma 25 January 2022 07:14
1643092683 Russia deploys 20 warships in Baltic Sea for drills amid Ukraine crisis
Russia carried out large-scale military exercises in Baltic sea with a total of 20 Russian warships and ships from the Russian Baltic Fleet amid heightened tensions on its border with Ukraine and mounting pressure from the West.
“Twenty combat ships and support vessels of the Baltic Fleet have departed from their permanent bases and deployed to designated areas in the Baltic Sea for accomplishing scheduled combat training measures,” the press office said in a statement on Monday.
The drills that brought together about 10,000 troops carried out anti-submarine, air defense and mine-sweeping tasks, the statement said.
The combat exercise covered seas adjacent to Russian territory in the Baltic Sea, an arm of the Atlantic Ocean, enclosed by Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland.
The drills are being held at a time when Moscow is threatening Kyiv by deploying more than 100,000 on its border, demanding that NATO promise it will never allow Ukraine to join and that other actions, such as stationing alliance troops in former Soviet bloc countries, be curtailed.
Russia denied that it will invade Ukraine, but continues to amass troops.
Shweta Sharma 25 January 2022 06:38
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