Russia: US, NATO responses to demands about Ukraine offer ‘little ground for optimism’: LIVE UPDATES
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov reportedly said Thursday that the U.S. and NATO’s responses to its security demands in relation to the Ukraine situation offer “little ground for optimism."
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United States Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield released a statement Thursday calling for an open meeting of the UN Security Council amid Russia's troop buildup on the Ukrainian border.
"Today, after weeks of close consultation with Ukraine and partners on the Security Council, the United States called an open meeting of the Security Council to discuss a matter of crucial importance to international peace and security," Thomas-Greenfield said. "Russia’s threatening behavior against Ukraine and the build-up of Russian troops on Ukraine’s borders and in Belarus."
"More than 100,000 Russian troops are deployed on the Ukrainian border and Russia is engaging in other destabilizing acts aimed at Ukraine, posing a clear threat to international peace and security and the UN Charter," the statement continued. "As we continue our relentless pursuit of diplomacy to de-escalate tensions in the face of this serious threat to European and global peace and security, the UN Security Council is a crucial venue for diplomacy.
Thomas-Greenfield said now was the time for the Security Council to seriously consider the ongoing situation.
"The members of the Security Council must squarely examine the facts and consider what is at stake for Ukraine, for Russia, for Europe, and for the core obligations and principles of the international order should Russia further invade Ukraine," Thomas-Greenfield said.
"This is not a moment to wait and see. The Council’s full attention is needed now, and we look forward to direct and purposeful discussion on Monday."
The State Department on Thursday unequivocally warned that if Russia invades Ukraine the Nord Stream 2 pipeline will sit unused at the bottom of the ocean.
The controversial pipeline has become the U.S. and NATO’s biggest bargaining chip in its attempts to preserve Kyiv’s sovereignty.
But reporters questioned the diplomatic agency on whether Germany, which would profit from the functioning pipeline, is on the same page when it comes to countering a Russian incursion.
"We continue to have strong, clear communication with our German allies," Under Secretary for Political Affairs Victoria Nuland said. "If Russia invades Ukraine, one way or another, Nord Stream 2 will not move forward."
Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby outlined which units are on heightened alert as Russia continues to build up forces on the Ukrainian border.
"I can say today that these units include elements of the 82nd Airborne Division based at Fort Bragg, which regularly, I think you all know, maintains high readiness as well as elements of the 18th Airborne Corps, also based at Fort Bragg," Kirby said during a press briefing Thursday.
Kirby added that forces "from Fort Campbell, elements of the 101st Airborne Division and from Fort Carson, Colorado, elements of the 4th Infantry Division" and "Davis-Monthan Air Force Base" have "also been placed on increased readiness."
"We were not going to and we don't intend to provide an exhaustive list of every unit that's being placed on prepare to deploy orders," Kirby said.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke to Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi yesterday and "underscored the global security and economic risks posed by further Russian aggression against Ukraine and conveyed that de-escalation and diplomacy are the responsible way forward," the State Department says.
President Biden will speak with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Thursday, sources from the Ukrainian Embassy in D.C. tell Fox News.
The White House has yet to confirm the call.
Fox News' Nana Sajaia contributed to this report.
Senior foreign affairs correspondent Greg Palkot has the latest on recent developments in Ukraine as the nation prepares bomb shelters to prepare for a potential Russian invasion.
A police officer shows explosives to schoolchildren during a police-organized civilian safety lesson in a city school in Kyiv, Ukraine, on Thursday. (AP/Efrem Lukatsky)
Images have emerged Thursday of police officers showing explosives to Ukrainian schoolchildren as concerns persist about a potential Russian military invasion.
The photos were taken in the country’s capital of Kiev during a police-organized civilian safety lesson, according to the Associated Press.
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War-based reporter Nolan Peterson speaks about new developments in Ukraine as the nation prepares for a potential Russian invasion.
Security patrols an area around the U.S. Embassy in Kyiv, Ukraine, on Monday. (AP/Efrem Lukatsky)
The U.S. Embassy in Ukraine's announcement advising American citizens to consider departing Ukraine is leading experts in global affairs to warn against a disastrous pullout along the likes of the Afghanistan withdrawal last year.
The embassy stated on its website Wednesday the security situation "continues to be unpredictable… and can deteriorate with little notice," urging citizens "to consider departing now using commercial or other privately available transportation options." It came after White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said Monday that Americans in the country "should leave now," without citing any official ordered evacuation plan in the works at the White House.
The State Department ordered families of U.S. Embassy personnel to begin evacuating the country early this week. The UK, Canada, and Australia all followed with similar steps to draw down the embassy.
David Kramer, former Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights and Labor, told Fox News the State Department's move is prudent, following the debacle in Afghanistan.
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Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov addresses the State Duma, the Lower House of the Russian Parliament in Moscow, Russia, on Wednesday. (The State Duma, The Federal Assembly of The Russian Federation Press Service/AP)
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Thursday that the U.S. and NATO’s responses to its security demands offer “little ground for optimism,” but “there always are prospects for continuing a dialogue, it’s in the interests of both us and the Americans,” according to the Associated Press.
Russia had issued a list of demands in December, including a promise to not admit Ukraine as a member of NATO and to withdraw troops from the region even as Russia continued to amass troops near the Ukraine border, increasing fears that Moscow will order an invasion of its neighbor.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Thursday that the American response could lead to “the start of a serious talk on secondary issues”, yet stated the document contains “no positive response” on the main security demands, the AP also reported.
Lavrov reportedly added that top Russian officials will now submit plans to Russian President Vladimir Putin about the country’s next steps. A Russian response to the U.S. is also expected soon, the AP said, citing Peskov.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba speaks to the media following a meeting with Denmark's Foreign Minister Jeppe Kofod in Copenhagen on Thursday. (Mads Claus Rasmussen/Ritzau Scanpix/AP)
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba suggested Thursday that Russia could remain on a “diplomatic track” for the next two weeks following talks in Paris with officials from Moscow, Ukraine, France and Germany.
“Nothing has changed, this is the bad news,” Kuleba was quoted by Reuters as saying, adding that “unfortunately, the biggest demand that Russia has is that Ukraine engages directly in talks with Russian proxies in Donetsk and Luhansk instead of negotiating with Russia.”
“This will not happen, this is a matter of principle,” he continued.
But the “good news is that advisers agreed to meet in Berlin in two weeks, which means that Russia for the next two weeks is likely to remain on the diplomatic track,” Kuleba said.
At least five Ukrainian soldiers were killed Thursday when "a young conscript" opened fire on them inside a rocket factory in the central city of Dnipro, according to reports.
The suspected gunman-- who was briefly on the run-- allegedly grabbed an AK-47 and ammunition from the facility before opening fire at about 4 a.m. local time, Deutsche Welle reported. Five other soldiers were injured.
The report, citing the country’s Interior Ministry, said that the alleged gunman was a 20-year-old who served on the National Guard of Ukraine. The suspected gunman fled the Southern Machine Building dressed in camouflage concealing the AK-47, authorities said. He was later identified as Artemiy Ryabchuk, according to reports. Authorities released photos of his arrest.
The motive of the shooting is not immediately clear. Ukraine's Foreign Ministry did not immediately respond to an email from Fox News.
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The controversial Nord Stream 2 pipeline will not move forward if Russia invades Ukraine, the chief spokesman for the U.S. State Department said in an interview Wednesday.
Ned Price told NPR that in "one way or another" the pipeline, which was completed in September and runs at the bottom of the Baltic Sea connecting Russia with Germany, will "not move forward."
"I’m not going to get into the specifics," he said. "We will work with Germany to ensure it does not move forward."
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