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.
-
American universities are losing ground to their foreign counterpartsThe Explainer While Harvard is still near the top, other colleges have slipped
-
How to navigate dating apps to find ‘the one’The Week Recommends Put an end to endless swiping and make real romantic connections
-
Elon Musk’s pivot from Mars to the moonIn the Spotlight SpaceX shifts focus with IPO approaching
-
US, Russia restart military dialogue as treaty endsSpeed Read New START was the last remaining nuclear arms treaty between the countries
-
What happens now that the US-Russia nuclear treaty is expiring?TODAY’S BIG QUESTION Weapons experts worry that the end of the New START treaty marks the beginning of a 21st-century atomic arms race
-
Epstein files topple law CEO, roil UK governmentSpeed Read Peter Mandelson, Britain’s former ambassador to the US, is caught up in the scandal
-
Iran and US prepare to meet after skirmishesSpeed Read The incident comes amid heightened tensions in the Middle East
-
EU and India clinch trade pact amid US tariff warSpeed Read The agreement will slash tariffs on most goods over the next decade
-
Israel retrieves final hostage’s body from GazaSpeed Read The 24-year-old police officer was killed during the initial Hamas attack
-
China’s Xi targets top general in growing purgeSpeed Read Zhang Youxia is being investigated over ‘grave violations’ of the law
-
Ukraine, US and Russia: do rare trilateral talks mean peace is possible?Rush to meet signals potential agreement but scepticism of Russian motives remain
