Russia could extend crisis over Ukraine, warns Truss
Russia could drag out the crisis over Ukraine for weeks or even months in an attempt to undermine Western unity, British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss has warned.
Truss said it was essential not to be "lulled into a false sense of security'' by Moscow's claims it was beginning drawback its forces from the borders of its southern neighbour.
Her warning came after Britain's head of military intelligence said that contrary to the assertions of the Kremlin, Russia was actually continuing to move forces into the border zone.
Lit.-Gen. Sir Jim Hockenhull, the Chief of Defence Intelligence, said there have been sightings of additional armoured vehicles, helicopters and a field hospital in the area.
In a statement issued late on Wednesday, he said: "Contrary to their claims, Russia continues to build up military capabilities near Ukraine.''
"This includes sightings of additional armoured vehicles, helicopters and a field hospital moving towards Ukraine's borders.
"Russia has the military mass in place to conduct an invasion of Ukraine.''
Writing in The Daily Telegraph, Ms Truss, who will this week visit Ukraine and Poland in a fresh show of support for allies, said there was no evidence Moscow was ready to pull back.
"We must not be lulled into a false sense of security by Russia claiming that some troops are returning to their barracks, while in fact, the Russian military build-up shows no signs of slowing,'' she said.
"We must have no illusions,'' Truss asserted, adding that "Russia could drag this out much longer in a brazen ploy to spend weeks more if not months subverting Ukraine and challenging Western unity.
"This is a test of our mettle.''
Moscow has repeatedly denied that it has any intention of attacking Ukraine, in spite of massing an estimated 130,000 troops along the border.
Russia's deputy ambassador to the United Nations Dmitry Polyanskiy again dismissed the claims as "fantasies'' by Western politicians.
"This is a very ridiculous situation, there has been hysteria, even hype, fanned for several weeks by our Western colleagues,'' he told ITV's Peston programme.
"They convinced each other and the whole world that Russia was about to invade, they were even naming concrete dates.
"So it happened in their minds, in their heads.''
In a speech in Kyiv, the Foreign Secretary will say the "path of diplomacy remained open if Moscow really does want a peaceful resolution to the crisis.
"We are ready to talk. But we are very clear if they decide to continue down the path of aggression, there will be massive consequences bringing Russia severe economic costs and pariah status,'' she will say.
Following her visits to Ukraine and Poland, Truss will travel on to attend the Munich Security Conference with other NATO Foreign and defence ministers.
On Wednesday, alliance defence ministers meeting in Brussels agreed to start drawing up plans for a series of new battlegroups in central, eastern and south-eastern Europe.
Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said it was to counter the threat from Moscow, which he described as "the new normal.''
While Western allies have made clear they will not intervene militarily in Ukraine which is not a Nato member they are looking to shore up their defences elsewhere in eastern Europe.
