U.S. says Russia's Actions Toward Ukraine "Impact" Every UN Member State, Urge for Unity.

The U.S. assured on Monday that its sanctions against Russia over Ukraine will be "punitive", but "the fact of announcing those sanctions and letting the Russians know in advance that we will use such sanctions hopefully will be preventative,” U.S. Envoy to UN told TURAN's Washington correspondent.

Now that the Biden administration concedes Russia is likely to invade Ukraine again, the biggest question roiling in the U.S. capital is whether crushing sanctions would be most useful now, or after an incursion as punishment.

Speaking at a press briefing organized by the State Department's Foreign Press Center, discussed Washington's intensive diplomatic engagement with Moscow and NATO allies, as it seeks to avert a crisis of peace and security, "not just for Ukraine and Europe, but for every UN Member State" as she put it.

"Russia’s actions toward Ukraine are not only a regional issue. They impact every UN Member State, and we must be prepared to stand together in unity and solidarity should Russia defy the shared values and principles that undergird our international system," the Ambassador said.

"We see 127,000 troops being – building up along the [Russian-Ukrainian] border. We have seen that the Russians have put troops in Belarus. So this is not a prophecy, this is fact. And that fact has led us to respond"

While Washington can't predict exactly what will happen next, "we know Russia's playbook" - the Ambassador said.

“We know it includes measures beyond overt military action. It often starts with cyber attacks, paramilitary activity, disinformation campaigns intended to obscure the facts and create a pretext for their own aggression, and other efforts to destabilize their target."

In this case, she said, Russian's "have already been trafficking in disinformation and propaganda and attempting to paint Ukraine and Ukrainian government officials as the aggressors and Russia as the victim."

NATO in its turn, is taking no chances as Russian troops move westward, as the alliance announced Monday it would send more ships and jets to Eastern Europe.

Asked whether the U.S. or the UN are in a position to consolidate support for Ukraine among the post-Soviet countries, Thomas-Greenfield told TURAN's correspondent that the NATO countries "have been strong in their support for their regional partners"

"We are regularly consulting with NATO, with European colleagues, and others within the region to ensure that they get the support that they require to bolster their own security concerns but also be supportive of Ukraine."

Alex Raufoglu

Washington D.C.