Russia’s Neighbors 'Sleeping With One Eye Open,' Key U.S. Diplomat Says

The State Department's number-two official on Europe and Eurasia on Tuesday warned against the threat that Russia has been posing in the neighborhood with its brutal invasion of Ukraine.

"Putin is running a regime that has conducted a merciless and unjustifiable onslaught against a neighbor, that all of Russia’s neighbors, frankly, are now sleeping with one eye open, as they should," Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary Juri Kim told reporters during a virtual briefing, TURAN's Washington correspondent reports.

"... And you’re seeing the impact of that from – everywhere from Armenia to Kyrgyzstan," she added.

When asked about Putin's recent claim that he had no intention of going into Poland or Lithuania, Kim said:  "I think it’s very important to remind ourselves that [Putin] also said he had no intention to go into Ukraine, and yet here we are."

She went on to add, "... So you asked the question whether we’re worried – I wouldn’t say that “worried” is the right word, but we are wary, and it behooves us – in our own self-interest, once again, it behooves us to look very carefully at Putin’s actions, not his words, and to prepare ourselves and to maneuver accordingly."

Asked by TURAN how much momentum did Putin have in Ukraine with his latest city grab, Kim argued that the broader overall strategic picture for Russia "is pretty bleak." 

She suggested that rather than looking "at this very specific moment related to what is happening in Avdiivka," one should look at the broader scope of what has happened over the last two years:  "While it’s understandable that Putin and his cronies might be playing up and exaggerating the importance of Avdiivka, I think it’s important for us to maintain full-scope visibility on the course of the war and the momentum, and the incredible strides that the Ukrainians have been able to make against this onslaught."

She elaborated: "Ukraine has consistently beaten the odds. So they’ve taken back more than 50 percent of the territory that Putin seized in his initial onslaught.  The Ukrainians have also pushed back the Black Sea fleet, which is a bit of a humiliation for the Russians. Speaking of humiliation, they are also cut off from the global economy in ways such that they are now relying on North Korea and Iran as major trade partners and suppliers for their weaponry so that they can continue their attacks on Ukraine. So this is not good news."

As for the Western support to Ukraine, Kim reiterated the Biden administration's position that "decisive, clear action is necessary." 

"If we are unable to respond in the way that we should, we are allowing space for a world that I think we would not want for our own children and for future generations," she said.

She went on to conclude, "We really do have to step up to defend the freedom of individual countries and to take action when countries like Russia and tyrants like Putin engage in a program of killing fathers, raping mothers, and stealing children.  This is not something that any country should accept and think that it doesn’t affect their own national interests."