[앵커]
As military tensions escalate in Ukraine, concerns about war are growing.
The West and Russia are engaged in a two-sided battle of armed protests and diplomatic negotiations.
Russia’s so-called ‘February invasion’ is circulating that it will be after the Beijing Winter Olympics. Correspondent Kim Jun-ho of Moscow reports the urgent situation in Ukraine.
[리포트]
Russian troops conduct intensive training near the Ukrainian border.
Russia, which has deployed more than 100,000 troops, continues to protest by mobilizing all of its land, sea, and air forces.
The Ukrainian military is also focusing on training in preparation for a Russian invasion.
With guerrilla warfare in mind, the 130,000-strong ‘Homeland Defense Brigade’ has also begun.
The West is also conducting naval exercises with the US aircraft carrier Harry Truman in the Mediterranean under the command of NATO.
Amid the military confrontation between the two sides, the move to revive the spark of a diplomatic solution is also urgent.
The US-Russian foreign ministers met in Geneva, Switzerland on the 21st, and five days later, Russia, Ukraine, Germany and France held a ‘Normandy-style summit’ in Paris.
Russia is demanding from the US a ban on additional NATO membership by former Soviet countries, such as Ukraine, and a ban on the deployment of medium- and short-range missiles outside of its territory.
[푸틴/러시아 대통령/지난해 12월 23일 : “명확하게 얘기했습니다. 더 이상 나토가 동쪽으로 확장하는 일은 없어야 합니다.”]
In the middle of last month (December), Russia delivered a draft security treaty containing such content, and the United States and NATO sent written responses to Russia on the 26th.
[블링컨/미국 국무장관/지난 26일 : “우크라이나의 주권과 영토 완결성, 그리고 국가들이 자신의 안보대책과 동맹을 선택할 수 있는 권리를 포함해 우리가 유지하고 지켜야 하는 핵심 가치가 있음을 분명히 했습니다.”]
[라브로프/러시아 외무장관/지난 27일 : “가장 중요한 질문에 대해 답변에 긍정적인 내용이 없습니다.”]
The West has warned that if Russia invades Ukraine, it will inflict heavy blows on Russia with strong economic sanctions.
Although the US is making moves to increase its military power in Eastern Europe, such as raising the readiness posture for redeployment of 8,500 US troops, it has drawn a line from direct military intervention, saying it has no plan to send troops to Ukraine.
[바이든/미국 대통령 : “미군이나 나토군을 우크라이나에 파병할 의향은 없습니다. 하지만 이미 공언했던 것처럼 푸틴 대통령이 움직인다면 심각한 경제적 결과가 초래될 것입니다.”]
Ukraine, which gained independence from the Soviet Union in 1991, has been in conflict with Russia over the annexation of Crimea in 2014 and civil war in the Donbas region, and is walking a pro-Western route while pushing for accession to the European Union with NATO.
[젤렌스키/우크라이나 대통령/지난해 12월 21일 : “나토로부터 구체적인 (가입) 시한을 받기를 원합니다. 2022년에 받기를 바랍니다.”]
Russia regards such NATO movement as a serious threat to its national security.
Late last year, Putin mentioned the possibility of military action.
[푸틴/러시아 대통령/지난해 12월 21일 : “서방의 공격적인 노선이 지속될 경우 적합한 군사적, 기술적 조치를 취할 것입니다.”]
He added that he wanted a political and diplomatic solution.
Russia has summoned the West to the negotiating table with a two-sided tactic of brute force, but tensions remain.
The United States and the United Kingdom have decided to withdraw from the families of employees of the embassy in Ukraine and some employees.
The U.S. also advised U.S. citizens staying in Ukraine to leave the country and re-designated Russia as a travel ban on Level 4, the highest level of travel advisory.
Russia denounced the move as ‘information warfare hysteria’ in the West.
Ukraine showed somewhat uncomfortable signs as domestic and international chaos aggravated due to a sense of crisis in the ongoing conflict.
[니콜렌코/우크라이나 외무부 대변인 : “미국 측의 그러한 조치는 시기상조이고, 무신경하고, 소심한 행위라고 생각합니다.”]
Meanwhile, Western military aid to Ukraine continues.
The United States and Britain have already provided or are planning to provide additional arms to Ukraine, and the Czech Republic has also agreed to provide shells to Ukraine.
Ukraine already has 150 U.S. military advisors, and Canada has said it will step up its support to help Ukraine defend its sovereignty and territory.
[트뤼도/캐나다 총리/지난 26일 : “이미 우크라이나에 파병돼 있는 200명에 더해 수일 내에 60명의 캐나다군 추가 파병을 승인했습니다.”]
Regarding the ‘February invasion’, Russia repeatedly denied the invasion plan, saying, “We are not even thinking about a war with Ukraine.”
At the same time, there were concerns that the medical unit might have completed the final preparations for the invasion by sending troops to the border region of Ukraine.
The international community’s attention is focused on whether a solution to the Ukraine crisis will come out at the high-level talks between the US and Russia, which will be held soon again, and the ‘Normandy-style talks’ of four European countries.
Junho Kim from Moscow.
