Melbourne – Archyde.com
US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said on Friday that Russia has sent more troops to its border with Ukraine and could invade its neighbor at any time, including during the Winter Olympics currently taking place in Beijing.
He added that Washington continues to “reduce” the number of staff at its embassy in Ukraine, and reiterated the State Department’s call for US citizens in Ukraine to leave the country immediately. Simply put, we continue to see very worrying signs of a Russian escalation, including the arrival of new forces at the Ukrainian border, Blinken told a news conference in Melbourne, Australia.
He continued, “As we said before, we are at a point where the invasion can start at any time, and to be clear, that includes the Olympics period.”
Russia, which has massed more than 100,000 troops near the Ukrainian border, denies Western accusations that it may be planning an invasion of its ex-Soviet neighbour. Beijing will host the Winter Olympics until February 20.
Britain said on Thursday that the “most dangerous moment” in the confrontation between the West and Moscow appeared imminent, with Moscow conducting military exercises in Belarus and the Black Sea after strengthening its forces near Ukraine. The US State Department urged its citizens in Ukraine to leave immediately due to what it described as the growing threats, and Blinken said Washington would continue to reduce the number of its embassy staff. “We will continue this procedure and have been very clear that any US citizen in Ukraine should leave now,” Blinken said.