Putin adds additional military capability along borders: Pentagon

Europe, News, US February 15, 2022 , by IRIA No Comments

Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby said during a briefing on February 14 that Russian President Vladimir Putin has added additional military capability along the border with Ukraine, as well as in the Belarus area that borders Ukraine.

“[Putin] continues to do the things that you would expect one to do if one were planning on a major military action, that is, to sharpen the readiness and to add to the capabilities of his force,” Kirby said.

“We obviously don’t want that to be the outcome, and neither do Ukrainians and certainly neither do our NATO allies,” Kirby added.

“Among those added assets, he said, are combined arms capabilities that include: artillery; air and missile defense; landing craft in the Black Sea; infantry; armor; offensive air; special operations; logistics and sustainment; cyber; and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance,” U.S. Department of Defense statement read.

The statement also highlighted that the United States is very transparent with Ukraine about its intelligence assessments of those Russian forces.

*^{Russian tanks have been gathering at the border with Ukraine. (Image Credit: Reuters)}*

Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby said during the briefing that Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov seemed to indicate that he still thinks there’s room for diplomacy. “We would welcome a pursuit of that path by the Russians, because we, too, believe that there still should be and can be a diplomatic path forward,” Kirby added.

U.S. Department of Defense spokesperson also stressed that if Putin decides to invade, many Russian and Ukrainian lives would be lost. “Russia can deescalate immediately and take a diplomatic path forward… It’s within Mr. Putin’s power to make the right decision now. And obviously, we hope to see him do that,” Kirby said.

Separately on February 14, Russia’s parliament urges President Putin to recognize east Ukrainian separate regions.

Although Russia says that it remains committed to the Minsk peace process for east Ukraine, Russia’s State Duma lower house of parliament voted to appeal to President Putin to recognize two republics in Ukraine.

The speaker of the parliament’s lower house, Vyacheslav Volodin said, “The issue of the appeal to the president about the need to recognize the Donetsk and Lugansk people’s republics will be considered tomorrow in preferential voting. The version that will collect more votes in the preferential voting will be adopted.”