US warns Russia of possible aggression against Ukraine

The United States issued a harsh warning to Russia for a possible military aggression against Ukraine, before the start of a meeting of the foreign ministers of NATO countries to discuss the tension on the Russian-Ukrainian border.

“Any escalation by Russia would be very worrying for both the United States and Latvia, and any aggression could have serious consequences,” US Secretary of State Antony Blinken told a news conference in Riga.

Blinken avoided offering details about the characteristics of that response and argued that he first wanted to consult with the NATO allies, gathered for a two-day meeting in the Latvian capital.

The exclusive point on the agenda is the enormous Russian military concentration along the border of that country with Ukraine, a situation that made the warning lights go on throughout the region. “We are very disturbed by these movements that we are seeing,” Blinken said.

volatile moment

The two-day meeting comes at a volatile time on NATO’s eastern flank, as the allies also face a migration crisis that they claim is driven by Belarus and backed by Russia.

Russia, which annexed the Crimean peninsula in 2014 and backs separatists fighting the Ukrainian government, has adamantly denied that it is planning an attack, and holds NATO responsible for fueling tensions.

NATO diplomats say the bloc remains unsure of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s intentions, but ministers will discuss contingency plans should Russia invade.

The officials look forward to talks on additional support for Ukraine’s armed forces and the potential strengthening of NATO forces arranged along its east wing.

However, they point out that Ukraine is not covered by the collective defense pact. Ukraine is a country that aspires to join NATO, and will be represented at the meeting by its Foreign Minister.

“We do not want to leave any doubt that there will be serious strategic consequences for Russia, if it follows the kind of path we fear it may be on,” said a senior US official.

“Hybrid attack”

The growing fears around Ukraine come as three NATO members – Poland, Lithuania and Latvia – face a wave of migration that will also occupy part of the meeting’s agenda.

Those three countries accuse another Russian ally, Belarus, of sending thousands of migrants, mainly from the Middle East, to their borders in a “hybrid attack” in retaliation for EU sanctions against the Belarusian government.

President Alexander Lukashenko rejects the accusation of driving the wave of migrants.

Polish President Andrzej Duda raised increasing the number of NATO forces deployed on his eastern flanks in a meeting with Stoltenberg a week ago.

But a move to trigger emergency consultations under article 4 of the military alliance founding treaty appears to have been put on hold for now.

On a joint tour of the Baltic states on Sunday, Stoltenberg and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen pledged to step up cooperation against such challenges.

Border tensions have eased slightly as some migrants have begun to return to their home countries, but Poland and Lithuania insist the crisis is far from over.