US diplomat accuses Russia of working to destabilize Ukraine from within
Russia intends to sabotage and destabilize Ukraine from within, Victoria Nuland, the U.S. Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs, said during a press briefing on Jan. 12.
“It is Russia that created this crisis out of whole cloth,” said Nuland, referring to the recent escalation of tensions on the Russian-Ukrainian border, and saying that the Kremlin had manufactured the crisis.
“It is Russia that has amassed 100,000 troops on Ukraine’s borders. It is Russia that has prepared internal sabotage, destabilization, and false flags for Ukraine,” the diplomat said.
Nuland also said that Russia “had spewed” disinformation and lies about Ukraine, the United States, and NATO to justify their actions.
The current Russia-Ukraine crisis has been building since late October, when Russia began deploying troops near the Ukrainian border and into Russian-occupied Ukrainian territories.
According to Ukrainian military intelligence, Russia’s military buildup will reach its peak in January 2022.
The Conflict Intelligence Team (an independent Russian investigative network) has reported that Russia continues to amass troops on Ukraine’s borders.
Russia has denied claims it plans a renewed invasion into Ukrainian territory, stating that the military buildup is its own internal business. At the same time, Russian media and propaganda outlets have spread disinformation about supposed Ukrainian plots to retake the Russian-occupied Ukrainian territories by force.
On Dec. 17, Russia issued demands for what it called “security guarantees” to the United States and NATO, including that Ukraine and Georgia be forbidden from ever becoming members of the alliance – all against the backdrop of a continuous build-up of Moscow’s troops along Russia’s border with Ukraine.
Bilateral talks between the United States and Russia to discuss these demands and de-escalation on Jan. 10 have so far proven to be inconclusive – additional talks, including a NATO-Russia Council meeting on Jan. 12 and an OSCE meeting on Jan. 13, are still ongoing.
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