Ukrainian defense minister says Russian invasion not imminent, tells citizens to 'sleep well'
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov spoke to Ukrainians Tuesday in an attempt to reassure the country's citizens that a Russian invasion was neither imminent nor inevitable, The Associated Press reported.
"Don't worry, sleep well," Reznikov said in a speech to Ukraine's parliament. "No need to have your bags packed." He also said that "as of today, there are no grounds to believe" Russia would invade in the immediate future.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Earlier this month, Ukraine blamed Russia for a cyberattack that infected dozens of Ukraine's government and private computer networks
Zekensky added that decisions by other countries to evacuate citizens, diplomats, and diplomats' dependents from Ukraine "doesn't necessarily signal an inevitable escalation and is part of a complex diplomatic game."
The U.S., Britain, Australia, Germany and Canada have all evacuated some of their nationals, per AP.
President Biden said in a press conference Wednesday that he believes Russian President Vladimir Putin "will move" against Ukraine, but that he's unsure whether Putin will order a full-scale invasion or a "minor incursion."
Biden also said he didn't think Putin had "made up his mind yet," a position Biden reiterated Tuesday when he compared discerning Putin's intentions to "reading tea leaves," an ABC affiliate reported.
-
Political cartoons for January 19Cartoons Monday's political cartoons include Greenland tariffs, fighting the Fed, and more
-
Spain’s deadly high-speed train crashThe Explainer The country experienced its worst rail accident since 2013, with the death toll of 39 ‘not yet final’
-
Can Starmer continue to walk the Trump tightrope?Today's Big Question PM condemns US tariff threat but is less confrontational than some European allies
-
How oil tankers have been weaponisedThe Explainer The seizure of a Russian tanker in the Atlantic last week has drawn attention to the country’s clandestine shipping network
-
The rise of the spymaster: a ‘tectonic shift’ in Ukraine’s politicsIn the Spotlight President Zelenskyy’s new chief of staff, former head of military intelligence Kyrylo Budanov, is widely viewed as a potential successor
-
Why Greenland’s natural resources are nearly impossible to mineThe Explainer The country’s natural landscape makes the task extremely difficult
-
Iran cuts internet as protests escalateSpeed Reada Government buildings across the country have been set on fire
-
US nabs ‘shadow’ tanker claimed by RussiaSpeed Read The ship was one of two vessels seized by the US military
-
Trump’s Greenland threats overshadow Ukraine talksSpeed Read The Danish prime minister said Trump’s threats should be taken seriously
-
Maduro pleads not guilty in first US court hearingSpeed Read Deposed Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores pleaded not guilty to cocaine trafficking and narco-terrorism conspiracy
-
Iran’s government rocked by protestsSpeed Read The death toll from protests sparked by the collapse of Iran’s currency has reached at least 19
