The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) has warned Russia and its president, Vladimir Putin, that it is ready for war and urged its geopolitical rival to reconsider its hostile foreign policy towards Ukraine.
"I am aware of Russia’s history. For centuries they have experienced conflict with neighbours. [But] Russia has an alternative: to co-operate, to work with Nato", NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg, who is also the former prime minister of Norway, told the Financial Times.
"Nato’s deterrence is credible and strong . . . We have to hope and work hard for the best, but be prepared for the worst," he added.
A few weeks ago, American intelligence had raised an alarm that the Kremlin was planning a multi-front offensive on the Russo-Ukrainian border as early as 2022 involving up to 1,75,000 soldiers.
Even the United States government has been urging Russia to engage in talks.
It, like NATO, has warned Vladimir Putin to make a choice - dialogue or confrontation.
US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken told CNN that there are two paths in this situation.
"There’s a path of dialogue and diplomacy to try to resolve some of these differences and avoid a confrontation. The other path is confrontation and massive consequences for Russia if it renews its aggression on Ukraine. We’re about to test the proposition about which path President Putin’s prepared to take."
The Biden administration has promised to militarily aid NATO forces in Eastern Europe and would additionally sanction Moscow if Putin eventually decides to invade Ukraine.
Russia's demands, on the other hand, include a guarantee that Ukraine will not join NATO, an act that the Kremlin views has hostile expansionism by the military alliance.
The US and NATO have both ruled out providing Russia with any such guarantee.
(With inputs from FT and CNN)
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