Humeyra Pamuk, Tom Balmforth

MOSCOW/ADELAIDE – Russia has increased its presence near Ukraine, and an invasion could occur at any moment, Washington stated on Friday.

Moscow for its part stepped up its truculent responses to Western diplomacy. It stated that NATO and the EU sent answers this week to it security requests, and they showed “disrespect”.

A private U.S. firm published satellite images that showed Russian military installations at various locations close to Ukraine.

Joe Biden made the most direct warning to Americans living in Ukraine: Get out!

Biden said to NBC News that “things could get crazy fast.” Biden will hold a phone summit Friday to talk about the crisis with representatives from Britain, Canada France Germany Poland Poland and Romania as well as the heads of NATO or the EU.

Antony Blinken Secretary of State, while visiting Australia said that “We are in a window where an invasion could start at any time” (and to make it clear, this includes during the Olympics).

Beijing’s games will end February 20.

Blinken explained that there are still troubling signs of Russian aggression, such as new troops arriving at Ukraine’s border.

Japan and the Netherlands advised their citizens to evacuate Ukraine as soon as possible, in response to growing alarm. The Dutch diplomat mission to Ukraine would be relocated from Kyiv, far away from Russia’s frontier, and will now move westward to Lviv.

Russia already has more than 100,000 soldiers near Ukraine. This week, it also launched military drills in the Black Sea and joint military exercises with Belarus.

Moscow claims it does not intend to invade Ukraine but admits that it may take “military technical” actions if a number of conditions are fulfilled, such as promises by NATO to never admit Ukraine or to withdraw its forces from Eastern Europe.

‘IMPOLITENESS & DISRESPECT’

These demands were rejected by the West. This week, the EU and NATO alliance provided responses on behalf of member countries. They stated that they had previously agreed to talk as one.

Russia’s Foreign Ministry stated Friday that it wants individual responses from all countries and called this collective response infuriating: “Such an action cannot be considered anything but a sign diplomatic impoliteness, disrespect for our request”

Several Western nations launched diplomatic efforts this week in an attempt to convince Russia to withdraw. However, Moscow ignored them and refused to make concessions to French President Emmanuel Macron, who arrived on Monday. He also mocked Liz Truss, the British Foreign Secretary, who was there on Thursday.

British Defence Secretary Ben Wallace visited Moscow Friday. Sergei Shoigu, the Russian Defence Minister, told him that Russia will soon comply with NATO and EU letters.

On Thursday, the four-way Berlin talks between Russia and Ukraine, Germany, France and Germany were ineffective. They are part of a long-running peace process in Ukraine’s conflict with Russian-backed separatists.

Paris and Kyiv stated that Russia demanded Ukraine negotiations directly with the separatists. A “red line”, which Ukraine has repeatedly rejected since 2014’s conflict.

THE MUTE TALKING TO THE DEAF

U.S.-based Maxar Technologies NYSE:, which tracks the building up of Russian forces said that images from Wednesday and Thursday revealed large new deployments in troops, planes and vehicles in several areas in Russia, Belarus, Crimea and western Russia. These locations were annexed by Russia in 2014. Reuters could not independently verify the images.

Russia asserts that it can move its forces anywhere on its territory it likes and without external threats.

While most Western nations have acted together to threaten economic sanctions against Russia in the event of an invasion by Ukraine, there have been divergent views about its immediacy.

London and Washington warned that an invasion was possible within days. Boris Johnson (British Prime Minister) called the days ahead the most critical in Europe’s largest security crisis since decades.

France’s Macron has, however, stated that he believes Russia doesn’t have plans on Ukraine and wants to change European security arrangements. He also called the Franco-German-led peace negotiations for Ukraine’s separatist conflicts a way out.

Although it may not have intended to, Moscow responded dismissively against Western pressure. Images of Macron, seated at opposite ends of large Kreslin tables to Putin went viral this week.

According to the Kremlin, Friday’s distant sitting was needed because Macron rejected a COVID-19 testing by Russian doctors. French officials said Macron’s travel schedule left no time to wait for test results; French sources also said Macron’s office was worried Moscow would sample his DNA https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/putin-kept-macron-distance-snubbing-covid-demands-sources-2022-02-10.