by Max Hunder and Jonathan Landy
Kyiv (Reuters) – NATO said on Tuesday that its member states have increased security around key facilities after Russia stepped up its attacks on Ukraine and increased threats to the West.
Russian missiles struck Ukraine for the second day, albeit with less intensity than on Monday, when dozens of airstrikes killed 19 people, injured more than 100, and disrupted power supplies across the country.
Moscow’s closest ally, Belarus, said on Monday it launched a drill to assess its “ready for combat” status after it ordered troops to deploy with Russian forces near the Ukrainian border. Belarus has allowed Russia to use its territory to invade Ukraine, but has not yet sent its own troops across the border.
Moscow has annexed new parts of Ukraine, mobilized hundreds of thousands of Russians to fight, and has alarmed the West, repeatedly threatening to use nuclear weapons in recent weeks. A European diplomat said he was considering convening a virtual summit of the Western defense alliance to assess NATO’s response.
Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg told reporters in Brussels that NATO is watching Russia’s nuclear forces closely, but has not seen any change in its nuclear stance.
Allies are tightening security around vital infrastructure in the wake of attacks on pipelines under the Baltic Sea and said any deliberate attack would elicit a “unified and decisive response”. It is still unclear who is behind the recent explosions.
At least one person was killed in further missile strikes in the southeastern Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia, and parts of the western city of Lviv were left without electricity, local officials said. Air raid sirens sounded on the second day in Ukraine.
Under internal pressure to escalate the seven-month war as his forces have lost ground since early September, Russian President Vladimir Putin said he ordered Monday’s attacks to avenge an explosion that damaged Russia’s bridge. for annexed Crimea.
AIR DEFENSE
US President Joe Biden and other G7 leaders met virtually on Tuesday to discuss what more they can do to support Ukraine, and heard President Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s call for air defense systems, which he called “priority number 1”.
Zelenskiy said that Russia has started a new phase of escalation, therefore new sanctions are needed, and called for an international monitoring mission on Ukraine’s border with Belarus.
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has repeatedly accused Ukraine of preparing to attack his country, despite providing no evidence, and Kyiv denies such a plan.
The Belarusian Ministry of Defense said on Tuesday that it has begun what it calls a military inspection: “During the inspection, how will military units and subunits work on combat readiness.”
French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna told French radio that Belarus could face more Western sanctions if it became more involved in Ukraine, adding that Russia violated the rules of war with Monday’s attacks.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Biden had promised more air defenses.
A joint G7 statement after the meeting warned Belarus against further intervention and condemned Russia’s missile attacks, saying attacks on civilians constitute a war crime. Russia denies deliberately attacking civilians.
source: Noticias
