London, Thanasis Gavos
UK Undersecretary of Defense James Hippie said Monday morning that the British government was “taking very seriously” US assessments of a possible Russian invasion of Ukraine as early as Wednesday.
As he commented, “I am afraid we are closer to a war than we have been on this continent for 70 years.”
He reiterated his call for the British living in Ukraine to leave the country “now”. “This is not a warning about something that could happen in three months. “Just minutes after Putin gave the order, missiles and bombs could land in Ukrainian cities.”
He said the British government hoped Russian forces would be able to concentrate their forces on the border with Ukraine for “diplomatic advantage”, but added that fears were that “an invasion” was “imminent”. He explained that if everything was done for diplomatic reasons, then fuel, medical supplies and materials for bridges would not have to be transported to the Russian-Ukrainian border. “All these unimaginable things make an invading force credible,” Mr Hippie said.
He commented that this does not mean that the invasion will necessarily take place and referred to “diplomatic tools” such as the Minsk agreement for its possible prevention.
The Undersecretary also tried to defend his political chief, Health Minister Ben Wallace, who was criticized for telling the Sunday Times that in dealing with Russia, “there is a smell of Munich in the air from some in the West.”
The statement was interpreted as a comparison of the situation with Hitler’s attempt to appease him before World War II. Mr Wallace has been criticized for allegedly insulting allies such as France or Germany and for equating Russia with Nazi Germany.
Mr Hippie said the minister was not trying to equalize the situation, but was simply “expressing his frustration with the apparent futility of the diplomatic process”.
The remarks came as Downing Street announced that Prime Minister Boris Johnson would travel to European countries later in the week for meetings with other leaders. It is believed that his visits will include Baltic countries.
A spokesman told him Sunday night that Britain believed there was still a “window of opportunity” for de-escalation and diplomacy.
Meanwhile, Foreign Secretary Liz Tras is starting daily meetings with security intelligence officials and diplomats to assess the situation, meetings which are already described by the British press as “war councils”. And Ms. Tras will travel to European countries during the week and speak at the Munich Security Conference on Saturday.
Meanwhile, yesterday’s statement to the BBC by Ukrainian Ambassador to London Vadim Pristaiko that his country could be willing to show “flexibility” in its ambition to join NATO in an effort to avoid war with Russia. This morning, however, Mr. Pristaiko reiterated that the ambition to join the North Atlantic Alliance exists in the Ukrainian constitution.
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