Former US ambassadors and officials, as well as some experts, have called on Washington to inform Moscow of sanctions that could be imposed on the Russian Federation in the event of an invasion of Ukraine, according to the Washington-based Atlantic Council website.
"We believe that the United States, in close consultation with its NATO and Ukrainian allies, must take immediate steps to influence the Kremlin's calculations <...> before the Russian leadership chooses to continue military escalation," it said. in a statement issued Thursday night.
The call was signed by 24 people, including former US ambassadors to the Russian Federation Michael McFaul and Alexander Vershbow, former heads of the US diplomatic mission in Kiev John Herbst, Stephen Pifer, William Taylor, and former US State Department special envoy for Ukraine Kurt Walker, former NATO commander in Europe - retired General Philip Breedlove and American philosopher and political scientist Francis Fukuyama.
According to them, the US administration must, among other things, continue to work with the EU and other partners to "ensure agreement on the elements of response to any Russian attack on Ukraine, regardless of the extent or form of the escalation." "Such a response would include a package of serious and painful (for the Russian economy) sanctions that will be applied immediately if Russia invades Ukraine. Ideally, the essence of these sanctions should be handed over to Moscow now so that the Kremlin has a clear an idea of the scale of the blow it will face to the Russian economy. In particular, Washington must consult with Berlin and reach an agreement that Germany will prevent the launch of Nord Stream-2 in the event of a Russian attack (against Ukraine), the text said.
Those who signed the letter also said that "the most important thing the West can do now is to increase the deterrent power of the Ukrainian armed forces by providing (Kiev) with military aid and equipment in an accelerated manner." “. Among other things, such assistance could include additional Jevlin anti-tank missiles as well as Stinger anti-aircraft missile systems. In addition, the authors of the call believe that "NATO must act now to begin to strengthen its military presence on the eastern flank." "The West must also expand its political offensive to take the initiative away from Moscow when it tries to use the threat of force to intimidate Ukraine, Europe and the United States to yield to Moscow's demands, many of which are obviously unreasonable and unacceptable, "the text reads.
However, its authors are convinced that the United States and its allies "must continue to make clear their readiness for dialogue with the Russian Federation," which will include issues of concern to NATO and other countries regarding Russia's military and other aggressive actions.
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