Far from a de-escalation, the standoff between Russia and the US over Ukraine feels more tense each day. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken went to the United Nations and presented the American case, saying Russia is laying the groundwork to justify starting a war.
President Joe Biden warned on Thursday that an attack on Ukraine could come in days. The White House also accused Russia of conducting “Potemkin diplomacy” — a reference to the 18th-century Russian “Potemkin villages,” facades without anything behind them. Fake diplomacy? That’s because while Russia claims to be trying to defuse the situation and pulling back, the US is seeing evidence to the contrary and warns Russia could launch a false-flag attack — something to essentially justify an invasion of Ukraine. Possible false-flag scenarios the US anticipates include: Claims of provocation in the Donbas region. A claim of NATO activity in land or air. Claims of an incursion into Russian territory. False claims about mass graves, chemical or biological weapons activity, guerrilla activity or genocide. LISTEN: Tensions rise over Russia-Ukraine conflict Making the case. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken went to the United Nations Thursday and laid out the American case. He told the Security Council that Russia is laying the groundwork to justify starting a war and preparing to launch an attack on Ukraine in the coming days. “Here today, we are laying it out in great detail with the hope that by sharing what we know with the world, we can influence Russia to abandon the path of war and choose a different path while there’s still time,” he said. RELATED: US says Russia plans to manufacture justification for war Blinken then traveled to Munich for a global security conference, along with Vice President Kamala Harris. She will meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg and other European leaders. A sort of unity in the US. While the US mission is to convince world powers that Russia is the aggressor and line up support to hold the country accountable, the American politics of the Russia-Ukraine situation are different.
