This content was published on 06 December 2021 – 20:15
Washington, Dec 6 (EFE) .- The Pentagon does not see a conflict in Ukraine inevitable due to a possible Russian aggression or invasion, although it insisted on Monday on its commitment to guarantee that Kiev has the necessary resources to defend itself.
The spokesman for the US Department of Defense, John Kirby, said at a press conference that his country does not believe that this conflict is inevitable because “there is time and space for diplomacy.”
For this reason, he insisted that “nothing” has changed regarding the support that the US provides to Ukraine in collaboration with other countries.
Kirby recalled that Washington has provided millions of dollars in “lethal and non-lethal” assistance to Ukraine in the last ten or eleven months, which has included anti-tank weapons.
Despite stating that for the moment nothing has changed, Kirby revealed that the Secretary of Defense, Lloyd Austin, had a meeting on Monday on Ukraine with officials of the department he directs, in which the Supreme Commander of NATO for Europe (SACEUR) participated. and head of the US European Command (EUCOM), General Tod Wolters.
Kirby said the Pentagon is closely monitoring the movements of Russian President Vladimir Putin, who is adding “military capacity in the western part of his country and around Ukraine.”
Earlier, a senior US official had revealed in a call with journalists that President Joe Biden will warn Putin on Tuesday that he is willing to reinforce NATO’s eastern flank, probably with “additional” troops, should Russia attack or invade Ukraine.
US Intelligence estimates that Moscow has about 70,000 troops deployed, along with equipment and artillery, on the border with Ukraine, and suspects that it may be preparing an attack that would arrive in early 2022, according to official sources cited by the media. Americans.
Kirby stressed, without going into detail, that the US continues to see “an escalation of Russian military forces” near eastern Ukraine.
“The intentions of Mr. Putin are still not clear,” said the spokesman, adding that at the moment the Pentagon is maintaining contacts with its partners and allies to transmit the information it has available to them. EFE
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