US President Joe Biden's statement that there is "

There is no dispute about the threat: more than 100,000 Russian troops are concentrated near the borders of Ukraine. The United States has put 8,500 troops on standby for potential deployment to Europe in an attempt to reinforce the allies, while NATO has fortified its eastern borders with warships and fighter jets.

A senior US official said that in the event of an invasion, sanctions "

In addition to a clear signal about the containment of Russian aggression, diplomatic negotiations continue..

Meanwhile, Russia paid a small price for annexing Crimea and fomenting war in Donbas in 2014.. There is a possibility that the Russian Federation is preparing a military offensive - not just using forceful diplomacy. It is in Moscow's interest to act before Kiev receives further arms shipments..

First of all, now Russian President Vladimir Putin does not have many options to choose from.. Exactly what, according to him, Russia should counteract - the presence of NATO in Eastern Europe, is expanding due to the actions of the Russian Federation..

Risks are rising. But an attack on Ukraine is not inevitable.. French officials have indicated that they consider recent US and UK statements to be too worrisome.. Kiev itself is more cautious.

An analysis by the Center for Defense Strategies suggests that a full-scale invasion, which could take part of the territory of Ukraine in the next few months, looks unlikely, given the current formation of Russian troops..

But it also suggests that a hybrid intrusion is already underway, given the recent cyberattack.. Moscow apparently believes that such methods, as well as provocations and political interference, may be enough to change the government of Ukraine.. EU aid of 1.2 billion euros is designed to reduce pressure on Kiev.

What price can Russia pay? Russian financial markets have already fallen, but it looks like the Kremlin has accumulated cash reserves to prepare for sanctions.

Moscow believes that control over gas supplies gives it powerful leverage, especially given the energy crisis in Europe. Russia counts on internal problems and disagreement in the West.

The tightening of US rhetoric is partly an attempt to compensate for the mistake of Joe Biden, who announced the inconsistency of the position of the allies on how to act in the event of a “small invasion” by the Russian Federation..

Germany, from the standpoint of the principles of the established policy against the sale of weapons to war zones and pragmatism, because the country receives more than half of its gas from Russia, has taken a passive role in relation to the Russian Federation.

Uncertainty remains in Berlin about how it is ready to punish Russian aggression, especially with regard to the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline.

However, there are signs that the allies are drawing closer, and they may be more coordinated now than they were in 2014.. U.S. outreach to Qatar and other energy suppliers to address the energy crisis could be beneficial. The threat of war calls for solidarity. Now unity must be maintained and developed, the publication concludes..

[see_also ids\u003d"

Read more about what Moscow is seeking and whether the West will make concessions to it, read in the articles.

Sergei Korsunsky\;

Aleksey Izhak\? "

For strategies of the Joe Biden administration to contain Russia's large-scale aggression against Ukraine, see the article by Alexander Khara \;

Ukraine, Great Britain and Poland create a new association. What to expect from him and what is known about him in the article by Vladimir Kravchenko "