A key US senator who chairs the Intelligence Committee expressed doubts that Russian President Vladimir Putin has been “getting all the facts” as he weighs a potential invasion of Ukraine, which American and European leaders say could happen as soon as this week.
Democrat Mark Warner questioned Mr Putin’s analysis of the situation in remarks to reporters after National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan briefed the Senate on the current situation behind closed doors on Monday.
Mr Warner told The National that inputs from western leaders to Mr Putin have been “very limited” in the “last 12 to 18 months during Covid.”
However, the senator noted that he thinks the array of European leaders visiting Russia and Ukraine could have an impact on Mr Putin’s decision whether to invade.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholtz, who is in Ukraine, is scheduled to visit Moscow on Tuesday.
His visit follows a similar trip to Moscow by French President Emmanuel Macron last week.
“He’s got to get some of this information penetrating because he’s talking on a regular basis to western leaders,” Mr Warner told The National.
“My hope is that the images of Ukrainians young and old training for an insurgency, the fact that western intelligence services are pre-warning if you see a Russian false flag operation will let the world know that this is not what it appears to be,” Mr Warner said.
He raised the possibility of a long-term Ukrainian insurgency in the wake of any Russian invasion as well as a potential spillover effect that could bring Moscow into conflict with Nato by activating the Article 5 mutual self-defence clause.
“The idea of something that could be an all-out cyberattack against the physical infrastructure in Ukraine could have ramifications in Poland,” said Mr Warner. “Does that raise the challenge of Article 5 in Nato?”
Both Mr Warner and Republican Marco Rubio referred to the situation as “dangerous".
And Mr Rubio, a staunch critic of President Joe Biden, cautioned his colleagues against using the tenuous security situation against the Democratic administration for partisan political gains – a rare sentiment in today's Washington.
“This is a very serious matter that really is a pretty significant challenge of global security,” said Mr Rubio. “If ever there was a moment where we should not be seeking immediate political advantage, this is probably one of those."
The briefing comes as weeks-long negotiations between Democrats and Republicans in Congress on a Russia sanctions package continue to drag on.
The Biden administration and Democrats have pushed back against Republican requests to apply penalties before any potential Russian invasion of Ukraine as well as sanctions on the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline from Russia to Germany.
But the Biden administration’s projections that a Russian invasion could begin at any moment, coupled with the fact that the House of Representatives is not holding votes this week could render some of the debate over sanctions legislation a moot issue.
“The administration has the power under the law to impose every sanction they need to impose, so I wouldn’t fixate too much on that at this point,” said Mr Rubio.
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A bomb shelter underneath Kiev's Central Train Station. The underground shelter can offer protection to the workers on shift and about 2,000 civilians. AP -
An aerial image of attack helicopters on the runway at Zyabrovka airfield in Belarus. AP -
A Ukrainian servicewoman disinfects the wounds of a dog injured by razor wire at a frontline position outside Popasna, the Luhansk region, in eastern Ukraine. AP -
An interior view shows a kindergarten, which according to Ukraine's military officials was damaged by shelling, in Stanytsia Luhanska in the Luhansk region, Ukraine. Reuters -
Ukrainian pensioner Lidiya Silina, 87, at her house right next to the border with Belarus. Ms Silina would take the rubbish out on the Belarusian side of the border opposite the twisty stream. Then the troubles started and the Russian tanks came. AFP -
A Ukrainian serviceman at a frontline position outside Popasna in eastern Ukraine. AP -
A child copies the position of Ukrainian servicemen standing at attention during the national anthem in Sievierodonetsk, eastern Ukraine. AP -
Ukrainian soldiers pose for a picture as the country observes a Day of Unity in Odessa. AP -
Lorries queue at the Goptivka border crossing between Ukraine and Russia, near the Eastern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv, amid growing tension. EPA -
Ukrainian border guards patrol along the border with Russia, near Kharkiv. EPA -
Four Royal Air Force Typhoon jets in Cyprus. The UK sent the additional jets to boost air patrols over eastern Europe. PA -
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, second from right, is briefed on preparations at the site of a military drill outside the city of Rivne. AFP -
Nato defence ministers in Brussels, Belgium. The military alliance says Russia is still sending troops to the border with Ukraine, contradicting Moscow’s claims of a drawdown. Reuters -
Ukraine's Senkivka checkpoint near the border with Belarus and Russia. Reuters -
The Motherland Monument in Kiev, Ukraine. The country is on high alert for the possibility of an invasion by its neighbour Russia. AP -
Valentyna Konstantynovska, 79, holds a weapon during basic combat training for civilians in Mariupol, eastern Ukraine. AP -
A satellite image shows a housing area and equipment for troops in Rechitsa, Belarus, where Russian forces are holding joint military exercises. Reuters -
US soldiers prepare to leave Fort Bragg, North Carolina, for Europe, where they are being sent as the crisis between Russia and Ukraine escalates. AFP -
Ukrainian soldiers at the site where a rocket landed close to their positions during the night on a front line near Popasna, eastern Ukraine. AP -
Ukrainian servicemen survey an area that was shelled overnight on Tuesday close to their positions on a front line outside Popasna, eastern Ukraine. AP -
A Ukrainian teenager helps a church minister reinforce basements in a centre for children in the Ukrainian village of Chervone. AFP -
A Ukrainian teenager digs trenches for soldiers serving on their country's eastern front and facing off with Russian-backed separatists, near Chervone. AFP -
A Ukrainian border guard at a crossing to Belarus in Vilcha. Getty -
A child tries to remove ammunition from a clip during basic combat training for civilians organised by the National Guard in eastern Ukraine. AP -
Rumia, 59, a member of Ukraine's Territorial Defence Force, trains near the capital Kiev. AP -
Smoke rises over the Gozhsky training ground during Russia-Belarus military drills in Belarus. AP -
Ukrainians march to show solidarity and patriotic spirit in Kiev. Getty -
A Ukrainian National Guard member shows civilians in the Donetsk region, eastern Ukraine, how to adopt a firing position. AP -
A military helicopter fires missiles during the Russia-Belarus military drills in Belarus. AP -
A pedestrian passes through the only open crossing point between territory held by pro-Russian separatists and Ukrainian government controlled territory in Stanytsia Luhanska, eastern Ukraine. AP -
US soldiers on parade during the visit of Nato Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg to the Mihail Kogalniceanu airbase, near Constanta, eastern Romania. AP
