U.S. Ambassador and Representative to the OSCE Michael Carpenter recently spoke on Belsat about a possible escalation of the conflict on the Ukrainian-Russian border.
The U.S. State Department advises its citizens not to travel to Ukraine. Firstly, it is due to the covid, and secondly, it is “due to the intensification of the threat from Russia.” Could an open military conflict between Ukraine and Russia become a reality?
“We don’t fully know what will happen next. But what we have seen is the pulling of Russian troops to the border with Ukraine, as well as equipment, which very soon may be used for military action. So we do not know what the Kremlin’s intentions are and we cannot predict with certainty what will happen and when. Obviously, this situation requires close attention,” said Michael Carpenter.
The U.S. ambassador also noted that the U.S. side is now very concerned about this situation, as there is a possibility of another explosion and another escalation of hostilities. “There are already Russian ground troops in eastern Ukraine that are firing artillery on Ukrainian positions on a monthly basis. This often results in Ukrainian casualties, including civilians. This could lead to a serious crisis of European security.
Michael Carpenter said that in turn the West is preparing extremely serious unprecedented economic measures, as well as other forms of response: political, diplomatic, perhaps some military measures in case Russia decides to invade again and escalate the situation in Ukraine. “We have to be prepared for all options,” he said.
“The meeting between Vladimir Putin and Joe Biden allowed the U.S. to communicate very clearly to the Russian side how we assess the situations and emphasize openness to diplomacy and dialogue. Now the Russian side has to decide which way to go: the way of escalation or choose another way.
The Kremlin uses increasingly aggressive belligerent rhetoric, threatening Ukraine and saying that Ukraine is not even a nation-state. There is a very different picture on the sides of the Ukrainian-Russian border. The OSCE has had an opportunity to talk very frankly about how we assess the situation, to let the Russian side talk about their view of what’s going on and, frankly, it doesn’t match what we see on the ground,” says the U.S. representative to the OSCE.
Mr Carpenter also said OSCE mission observers have had problems working in Ukraine’s occupied territories when Russian-controlled armed formations have interfered with their work: they have been pressured and their freedom of movement has been restricted.
