Russia has continued to accumulate more troops near the Ukrainian border in recent days, despite President Joe Biden urging Russian President Vladimir Putin to de-escalate tensions during a virtual meeting last week.
According to sources familiar with intelligence, more Russian military units have been dispatched to the border area in recent days. Officials from the United States and Ukraine also have evidence that Russia has begun diverting commercial air and rail systems to support the military effort, although similar air and rail activity was visible in the spring during Russia’s recent military buildup, which was eventually retirement.
The Biden government still sees a window to deter an invasion from Russia, assessing that Putin has not yet decided whether he will launch an attack. But a White House official told CNN that “we believe that conversations are most productive if they take place in an environment of de-escalation, rather than escalation.”
Russia has demanded security guarantees from the United States and NATO, including a binding commitment that NATO will not expand further east and will not allow Ukraine to join the military alliance, according to a draft proposal posted online Friday. by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia. Russian officials presented the proposals to Undersecretary of State Karen Donfried during her stay in Moscow this week, and Donfried said she would share them with American allies and partners.