Russia has added more troops despite claims of pulling back from the Ukraine border. The US alleged that despite the claims in Moscow, there were an additional 7000 troops sent to the border.
A senior US administration official said that Russia’s claims of withdrawal were “false” and warned that these diplomatic claims were a farce.
“Every indication we have now is they mean only to publicly offer to talk. They make claims about de-escalation, while privately mobilizing for war,” the official said.
President Joe Biden mentioned during a televised speech that the estimate of Russian troops on the border is at 150,000. “Our analysts indicate that they remain very much in a threatening position,” Biden said. “And the fact remains right now Russia has more than 150,000 troops encircling Ukraine and Belarus and along Ukraine’s border.”
A senior diplomat cautioned that Russia may attack under a false pretext. This includes claiming NATO activities or an incursion into Russian territory. Or claiming atrocities were taking place in the eastern Donbas area, which has been under Russian-backed rebel rule since 2014.
“We should expect more false reports from Russian state media over the coming days,” an official said. “We don’t know what form the false pretext will take. But we hope the world is ready.”
“We will continue to pursue diplomacy over the coming days while being prepared to respond swiftly and decisively,” the official said. “Russia keeps saying it wants to pursue a diplomatic solution; their actions indicate otherwise. We hope they will change course before starting a war that will bring catastrophic death and destruction.”
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said the alliance had not yet seen “any sign of de-escalation on the ground,” but added that “signs from Moscow that diplomacy should continue” were grounds for cautious optimism.