US warns Russia of 'consequences' against any renewed acts of aggression towards Ukraine

The United States has once again threatened "massive consequences" for Russia for engaging in military assertiveness and heavy troop build-up at the frontier with Ukraine. At a presser in White House on Dec. 21, Tuesday, the US Secretary of State Antony Blinken reaffirmed the United States’ focus on engaging with the multilateral system and revitalising the diplomacy with its network of key alliances and partner countries, including NATO, AUKUS, QUAD, the European Union, G7, the G20, ASEAN, and OECD. “We’re much more aligned with our allies and partners now than we were a year ago on nearly every issue,” Blinken said, denouncing Moscow’s armed aggression toward Ukraine and its neighbours.

“We’re in a stronger geopolitical position to deal with countries like China and Russia,” he stressed. Blinken derided Russia for undermining the international system that made the world “freer, more prosperous, more secure, more connected.” 

'Will make it very, very difficult' for Russia

Speaking at the conference, Blinken said that the United States has been working in very close coordination with allies and partners “not only to show our shared concerns but to put in place what would be a meaningful and massive response if Russia commits renewed acts of aggression against Ukraine.” He went on to add that there have been formal statements made by NATO, European Union, and G7 -- all making clear that “there will be ‘massive consequences’ for Russia if it engages in further acts of aggression against Ukraine,” he stressed. 

US secretary of State further emphasised that US President Joe Biden has been engaged in diplomacy and deterrence to safeguard the interests of allies and partners. When he first met with President Putin in Geneva some months ago, said Blinken, President Biden clarified that the US’ strong preference is to have a more predictable and stable relationship between Russia and the United States. 

“But if Russia continues to engage in reckless, regressive actions, we will respond and will respond strongly," Blinken asserted. 

Russia's buildup of soldiers near Ukraine's border only increased tensions with the West. [Credit: AP ]

In shocking intelligence earlier this month, the US officials said that they believe Russia is planning a ‘multi-front military invasion’ of Ukraine with 175,000 troops in early 2022, confirming the inside details outlined in a report. The US is taking recent signalling from the Kremlin very seriously as Russia concentrated heavy military on the volatile Moscow-Kyiv border, and does not consider the matter a bluff, the officials had reportedly stated. Russia’s military troop buildup came in the backdrop of escalating offensive and tensions between the Ukrainian soldiers and Russian-backed separatist forces on frontlines in Ukraine’s conflict-stricken eastern regions of Donetsk and Luhansk. 

Russian defence forces, in a show of military strength, have been conducting drills and exercises in the Black Sea region of Crimea. The US had earlier warned Russia of "strong economic and other measures”  if Russian President Vladimir Putin invades Kyiv. Biden had told reporters at the White House that his administration is drafting a set of initiatives and retaliatory measures that will make it “very, very difficult” for Russia to escalate the conflict.

A Ukrainian soldier looks from his position near the front line with Russia-backed separatists in Shyrokyne, eastern Ukraine. [Credit: Evgeniy Maloletka/AP Photo]

In an attempt to defuse the tensions, the Russian Foreign Ministry previously published two draft agreements regarding the security guarantees between Moscow, the United States, and the alliance. Moscow outlined conditions such as prohibiting NATO’s military expansion further into Eastern Europe and prohibition for US and ally countries from deploying medium to short-range missiles within striking distance of each other’s territory.

The United States, meanwhile, in its response said that there is still an ‘opportunity for progress’ in normalising the tense situation with Moscow if talks with Russian leader Vladimir Putin are held "in the appropriate format.” "We have been clear as the United States - and just yesterday, the 30 nations of the NATO alliance were clear in a statement that came out of the North Atlantic Council - we're prepared for dialogue with Russia," White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said at the event hosted by the Council on Foreign Relations think tank in Washington.