French Foreign Minister Le Drian: nothing indicates Russia's intention to invade Ukraine
Jean-Yves Le Drian. Photo: Vitaly Belousov / RIA Novosti
Nothing indicates Russia's intention to launch an offensive in Ukraine. This was stated by French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian, reports RIA Novosti.
At the same time, the head of the Foreign Ministry pointed to some existing “evidence” that Moscow was preparing a major offensive. He added that the alleged “invasion” could start quickly, but declined to provide any evidence for his claim.
Earlier, Oleksiy Danilov, Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council (NSDC) of Ukraine, said that Kiev currently does not see the prerequisites for a full-scale Russian invasion. According to Danilov, the situation in Ukraine is now under control, and so far there is no threat of invasion. “Moreover, today we do not see that a large-scale offensive by the Russian Federation can take place either on the 16th or on the 17th. We don’t foresee it, we don’t see it,” he said.
Earlier, US President Joe Biden said that Russia would invade Ukraine on February 16. He named this date during negotiations with the leaders of Western countries, the European Union and NATO. Washington also warned the allies that the offensive would be preceded by a “flurry of missile strikes and cyber attacks.”
