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The United States warns that Russia has already deployed approximately 190,000 soldiers
Russian President Vladimir Putin will personally supervise the nuclear exercises where ballistic and cruise missiles will be tested, while Ukraine's allies reaffirm that Moscow is only waiting for an excuse to start the invasion of Ukraine.
The United States has assured that the Russian presence on the border has increased significantly between 169,000 and 190,000 soldiers, according to Michael Carpenter, US ambassador to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE).
This huge Russian military deployment is the largest since the Second World War.
According to the Russian Defense Ministry, the exercises will include the participation of the air force, the strategic missile force and the fleets of the North and the Black Sea. A show of force where they will test conventional and nuclear weapons.
The Russian authorities issued a statement indicating that under the supervision of the "supreme commander" of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin, they will deploy a military exercise for strategic deterrence forces.
The document ensures that they will launch ballistic and cruise missiles.
Russia has reiterated that these drills are carried out every year (except in 2020 or 2021 due to the pandemic) and have been awaiting execution for some time.
The Russian president's spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, declared that the countries close to where these exercises are carried out are always notified in advance, therefore, he assures that "there should be no questions or concerns."
However, Western authorities and NATO allies see it as a threat and a show of strength in the face of growing tension on the Ukrainian border.
This Friday, Putin addressed the issue of tension in Ukraine at the Security Council meeting prior to his meeting with Belarusian President Aleksander Lukashenko.
Currently, Russian and Belarusian troops are carrying out military maneuvers that have caused concern in Ukraine. They are expected to end this Sunday.
These exercises are part of the nearly 200,000 troops that Russia has deployed around Ukraine in recent weeks.
For its part, Russia has announced that troops are withdrawing, but neither NATO nor Ukraine confirm this information, on the contrary, they affirm that the number of soldiers has increased.
Belarusian President Lukashenko has announced his "unrestricted" support for Russia and has allowed nuclear deployment on his territory.
With around 4,500 nuclear weapons in its arsenal, Russia is the world's leading nuclear power.
NATO assures that they have not withdrawn troops
Jens Stoltenberg.
Despite Moscow's insistence that they have already begun to withdraw their soldiers, NATO assures that there are no changes on the ground.
The secretary general of the Alliance, Jens Stoltenberg, has highlighted the Russian signs of continuing with diplomatic channels, however, he assures that the Russian troops are prepared for the attack.
At the first session of the NATO defense ministers' summit held in Brussels, Stoltenberg considered this military deployment the largest since the Second World War.
NATO and its allies have repeatedly recognized Russia's strong military and nuclear arsenal, but are concerned about not knowing what they will do. However, they have reiterated that Russia "will pay a high price" if they attack Ukraine. on a large scale.
On the other hand, the president of Ukraine, Volodimir Zelensky, has assured that he agrees with his NATO allies and the West that there are no signs that the Russian soldiers are retreating towards their barracks.
If force is not used, the Russian threat would remain, which Stoltenberg has classified as the "new normal", which means that Russia would lay the foundations and conditions for security in Europe.
For this same reason, NATO has proposed the deployment of four multinational combat detachments that will be mobilized to Romania and will be made up of 1,000 soldiers each.
Due to the “new normality” that Stoltenberg comments, he has ensured that military and offensive weapons will not be deployed on Ukrainian territory, but he considers that they must prepare to protect the region.
In addition, he assured that they will not close the doors to Ukraine for its entry into NATO.
In September, Stoltenberg will step down as secretary general of the alliance and take over as president of the Norwegian Central Bank.
Stoltenberg's argument, regarding possible Russian aggression against Ukraine, is based on Russia's past actions, which at times have attacked and violated international law.
The secretary of the Alliance has called on Moscow to attend the meeting of the NATO-Russia Council, stressing that "it is not too late to choose the path of peace".
Through a statement, the Defense Ministers of the Alliance announced their concern about Russia's military increase along the border with Ukraine and Belarus. Therefore, they have demanded that Moscow withdraw troops in compliance with international agreements.
In the statement, the defense ministers recognized that Russia's military deployments and decisions represent a major threat to security, peace and stability in Europe.
Vladimir Putin assures that Russia does not want a war
In his meeting with the president of Germany, Olaf Scholz, the president of Russia, Putin, assured that the Russian troops have begun the withdrawal in the southern and western region of the territory and would continue to do so as the military maneuvers end.
This Tuesday, Moscow announced that the troops in Crimea would withdraw “partially”.
In addition to that, Putin guaranteed that Russia is willing to continue the dialogue process that aims at arms control, "Russia does not want war," he assured.
This argument has been reiterated on several occasions by different Moscow authorities since the West and the Alliance announced that a Russian invasion was imminent.
In fact, the allies of Ukraine announced dates of the possible attack according to the information they had from counterintelligence. In Russia, with a great propaganda and media display, these statements by the West were mocked.
Maria Zajarova, spokeswoman for the Russian Foreign Ministry, declared that the Western information services should "inform them of all the invasions of 2022 to accommodate their vacations", in a clear mockery of the statements of Joe Biden, who assured that the Russian attack It started this Wednesday, February 16.
In addition, it is an example that wars and conflicts are not only fought with weapons, but are also fought through the media.
Chancellor Scholz, during his meeting with Putin, clarified that the incorporation of Ukraine into NATO is not dated, therefore, it should not be a reason for Russia to start a large-scale conflict in Europe.
For his part, Putin highlighted the great economic alliance he has with Germany, referring to the export of Russian gas to German territory.
Germany is Russia's main customer in Europe. Currently, the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline is awaiting approval from the regulatory body in Germany to come into operation.
In this context, Berlin has avoided pronouncements on what position they will accept if the European Union applies sanctions related to this gas pipeline that will cause a great economic and political impact in Moscow.
