U.S. seeks to bolster Ukraine, as Moscow beefs up its military presence in the region

"The Biden administration's top diplomat sought to reassure Ukraine's president of unified support from the West but warned that Russia could invade as concerns mounted over Moscow's deployment of troops to Belarus, which shares a border with Ukraine.

"We have made very clear to Moscow that if it chooses to renew aggression against Ukraine, it will be met and it will face very severe consequences," Secretary of State Antony Blinken said at a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Later Wednesday, during a White House news conference, President Biden said he expects Russia would make some kind of move against Ukraine, and would face consequences calibrated to the degree of aggression. "My guess is he will move in," he said, referring to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Later Mr. Biden walked back his comments. "I don't think he's made up his mind yet," he said, suggesting he might meet face-to-face with Mr. Putin.

A U.S. State Department official confirmed that the Biden administration has approved $200 million in new defensive military assistance to Ukraine, saying the U.S. "will continue to provide Ukraine the support it needs."

That sum includes Javelin antitank missiles, U.S. officials said, though the administration has stopped short of providing offensive weapons to Ukraine and said it won't use direct military force to support the country.

"To take very fast steps to modernize the army, we need help here," Mr. Zelensky said.

British C-17 cargo planes have been ferrying antitank weapons to the country for Ukraine's forces.

The tensions over Ukraine are part of a larger disagreement between Moscow and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization about security in Eastern Europe.

 U.S. officials this week saying Russian troops and weaponry are moving into Belarus -- a shift that could position them for deployment to Ukraine. That is in addition to some 100,000 Russian troops that U.S. and European officials estimate to be deployed near Russia's border with Ukraine.

Russian forces are moving to bracket Ukraine on three sides. The deployments in Belarus expand the Russian military's considerable presence north of Ukraine and provide the Russian military with greater firepower should it opt to drive toward Kyiv, among other contingencies. Russia has a substantial force east of Ukraine and has been supporting separatists in the eastern part of the country.

A flotilla of Russian amphibious-assault ships, meanwhile, has left the Baltic Sea and is heading through the English Channel, according to photographs on social media and military analysts. Those ships likely are steaming to the Black Sea to build up Moscow's formidable military presence in and around Crimea, the analysts said.

Russian Deputy Defense Minister Alexander Fomin said troops from Belarus and Moscow are conducting exercises and taking actions "to neutralize threats" to the borders of the Union State, an alliance that binds Russia and Belarus in various areas ranging from the economy to defense.

The forces would prepare for "actions not only within their boundaries of responsibility," but also for threats that arise, he said, not specifying how many troops would be involved in the exercises, the first phase of which is set to begin Feb. 9.

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said Monday that the joint exercises would be conducted on Belarus's western border and on the country's southern flank, where it borders Ukraine.

To ensure a functioning air defense for the Russian-Belarusian union, 12 Su-35 jets will be relocated to Belarusian territory, in addition to two divisions of the S-400 antiaircraft missile system, Mr. Fomin said. Pantsir-S antiaircraft missile and gun battalions also would be redeployed, he said.

A senior U.S. administration official told reporters on Tuesday that "there can be no doubt about Belarus's role as an increasingly destabilizing actor in the region." The official noted a series of incidents to demonstrate Belarusian efforts, including the recent migrant crisis along its border with Poland -- which the official said was "manufactured" by Belarus.

The timing of the Russian troop movements "raises concerns that Russia could intend to station troops in Belarus under the guise of joint military exercises in order potentially to attack Ukraine from the north," the senior U.S. administration official said.

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said Wednesday that Russia doesn't intend to take any aggressive action against Ukraine.

But Moscow sees a threat in Ukraine's potential membership of NATO, he said.

On the issue of military maneuvers in Belarus, Mr. Ryabkov urged officials to focus on diplomacy rather than the potential for conflict.

"I assure you, there is no reason to be concerned about anything in connection with these exercises," he told the Valdai Discussion Club, a Moscow-based discussion group.

The diplomat also repeated Moscow's view that the U.S. and NATO are to blame for the precarious security situation in Europe. "Washington and NATO, among other things, use Ukraine as a lever of pressure on Russia," he said.

The Kremlin has demanded that NATO pull back from Eastern Europe and forswear the addition of potential new members such as Ukraine.

U.S. and NATO officials have rejected those demands, but Washington sought to find some common ground on select security issues in meetings last week." [1]

1. World News: Russia Deploys Troops to Belarus --- U.S. seeks to bolster Ukraine, as Moscow beefs up its military presence in the region
Mauldin, William. Wall Street Journal, Eastern edition; New York, N.Y. [New York, N.Y]. 20 Jan 2022: A.8.