U.S. and the West foment crisis with Russia

Washington, Nov 30 (Prensa Latina) The United States and NATO allies are fomenting a confrontation with Russia, denounced today the digital site antiwar.com.

An analysis by Ted Galen Carpenter, an expert in defense and foreign policy studies at the Cato Institute, in his approach to the subject pointed out that “a key actor in this effort is the Ukrainian government” which highlights alleged suspicious movements of Russian troops near the border between the two countries.

Kiev’s propaganda offensive intensified dramatically on November 20 when Brigadier General Kyrylo Budanov, director of Ukraine’s defense intelligence, claimed in an interview with Military Times that Moscow already had plans to launch an invasion by the end of January 2022, the expert said.

For his part, Ukrainian President Voldymyr Zelensky soon made Budanov’s prediction look mild and accused Moscow of intending to seize large swaths of that country’s territory and even stage a coup that would overthrow his government.

It would be bad enough if such efforts to generate a crisis were simply a one-sided campaign by a government determined to whip up nationalist emotions to revive its sagging fortunes, antiwar.com stressed.

But, as it did in April, Joe Biden’s administration appears ready to give full credence and backing to its Ukrainian client’s stance vis-à-vis Russia, Carpenter remarked.

In an April 2 phone call to Zelensky, Biden “affirmed America’s unwavering support for Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity in the face of Russia’s ongoing (alleged) aggression in the Donbas and Crimea,” he added.

The Pentagon is conducting a multifaceted campaign of provocations, especially in and around the Black Sea. Washington’s air and naval presence in the area increased markedly in the last year, including a new deployment in November, in the face of Moscow’s energetic and increasingly forceful protests.

According to Carpenter, U.S. arrogance is producing a crisis with Moscow on multiple fronts, and the Putin government appears increasingly unwilling to back down any further. A potentially catastrophic military confrontation is still avoidable, he warned.