All indications at NATO’s disposal indicate that Moscow is still planning a large-scale attack on Ukraine. NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said this on Tuesday after an emergency meeting of the NATO-Ukraine Council.
“They promised a step back, but the opposite happened,” said Stoltenberg. “Whereas recently there have been covert attempts to destabilize Ukraine, we are now seeing open military operations. Security in Europe has never been so endangered in decades, in this crisis created only by Russia.”
At a press conference after that emergency session, Stoltenberg recalled that Moscow promised last week that it would take a step back. “However, we are now seeing the opposite: over 150,000 troops, fighter planes and attack helicopters. Many units are now deployed in combat formations. They have left their camps, are on the ground and ready to attack.”
In this regard, Stoltenberg points to provocations from Moscow, so-called “false flag” operations by the Russians, the announcement of additional Russian troops in the Donbas on Monday evening and the threatening rhetoric from the Kremlin that was reaffirmed in Putin’s speech on Monday evening.