Battle lines appear to tighten over Russia's potential invasion into Ukraine
Battle lines appear to be tightening over Russia's potential invasion into neighboring Ukraine — and NATO and other European leaders are pleading for diplomacy ahead of face-to-face talks between the U.S. and Russia in Geneva next week.
The White House is pushing back against a report that said the Biden administration might be willing to consider lowering troop levels in Eastern Europe if Russia would pull back its forces from near Ukraine, Christina Ruffini reports for "CBS Saturday Morning." A senior State Department official told reporters on Friday, "I want to be crystal clear that that is not accurate."
But the Putin problem remains.
"Russia's aggressive actions are a threat to peace and security in Europe," Secretary of State Antony Blinken said at a rare Friday news conference.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/battle-lines-appear-to-tighten-over-russias-potential-invasion-into-ukraine/ar-AASzpD6
Kazakhstan adds uncertainty to talks with Russia on Ukraine
WASHINGTON (AP) — Russia’s decision to send paratroopers into Kazakhstan, where a crackdown on violent anti-government protests has left dozens dead, injects additional uncertainty into upcoming talks over a possible Russian invasion of Ukraine.
The question is whether the unrest in Kazakhstan has changed the calculations of Russian President Vladimir Putin as he weighs his options in Ukraine. Some say Putin may not want to engage in two conflicts at the same time, while others say Russia has the military capacity to do both and he will decide separately on whether to attack Ukraine. The instability in Kazakhstan may even add new urgency to Putin's desire to shore up Russia's power in the region.
Both Kazakhstan and Ukraine are former Soviet republics that Putin has sought to keep under Moscow's influence, but so far with vastly different results. Ukraine, an aspiring democracy that has turned decisively toward the West, has been locked in deadly conflict with Russia since Putin seized Crimea in 2014 and backed an insurgency in the eastern Donbas region. Kazakhstan, meanwhile, has been ruled in the three decades since the Soviet collapse by autocrats who have maintained close security and political ties with Russia.
Russian troops entered Kazakhstan on Thursday after Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev invoked the help of a Russia-led military alliance. The following day, with Russian troops helping to restore control over the airport and guarding government buildings, he ordered his forces to shoot to kill any protesters who don't surrender.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/kazakhstan-adds-uncertainty-to-talks-with-russia-on-ukraine/ar-AASz8i8
