PICTURED: Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. PC: 2.0.

MOSCOW, Russia. December 25th, 2021. 10,000 Russian troops have returned to permanent bases in the Russian heartland following deployments to the borders with Ukraine, reports the country’s Interfax news agency.

The drills, held inside Russian territory at Crimea, Rostov, and Kuban, sparked a brushfire of accusations around Washington about a potential ground invasion of Ukraine by Russia, allegations which the Kremlin denied, citing only that it was part of their normal military exercises.

“A stage of combat coordination of divisions, combat crews, squads at motorized units… has been completed. More than 10,000 military servicemen… will march to their permanent deployment from the territory of the combined arms’ area of drills,” Interfax quoted the army as saying.

Reuters reports that some estimates of Russia’s troop presence on the border could be as high as 90,000 or as low as 60,000, citing intelligence documents. The Kremlin has reiterated that it doesn’t want war, but NATO should respect that Ukraine’s entry into NATO is a “red line”.

While western media pounced on rumors that U.S. intelligence had briefed the Biden Administration of a potential invasion of Ukraine, they routinely avoid reporting on the endless perceived aggression by NATO against Russia. Just recently, a tri-lateral agreement in the Baltic states will see M270 NATO multiple-launch missile systems deployed to NATO’s eastern flank, while alliance members Finland and Sweden opened up a new front further north.

The Russian Foreign Ministry warned that 10,000 western military advisors are training the Ukrainian army in preparation for a renewed civil conflict in the nation’s eastern, rebellious region of Donbass.

Business-like attitudes

The Wednesday before Christmas, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov confirmed that security talks between the White House and Kremlin were on the calendars for January. Lavrov also confirmed that talks between the Kremlin and NATO on a similar breadth of topics would proceed shortly after.

The chief topic is precluding Ukraine’s entrance into NATO, but also that of other former Soviet countries. Moscow also wants pledges from NATO member states to rollback the extraordinary military buildup on its western border.

Washington has rejected making pledges per se, but has said it is willing to discuss options. Lavrov revealed a “business-like attitude” in the White House’s agreement to schedule talks.

“We don’t want a war,” Lavrov said in a press conference. “We don’t want to take the path of confrontation. But we will firmly ensure our security using the means we consider necessary”.

The Assistant Sect. of State for European and Eurasian Affairs, Karen Donfried, echoed in a way Lavrov’s claims, calling some of the Russian demands “unacceptable” but adding that there are other topics that State was “ready to work on”.

“There are some things we’re prepared to work on, and we do believe there is merit in having discussion,” Donfried said. “There are other things in those documents that the Russians know will be unacceptable”.

Alternating between the words “ironclad” and “unwavering” depending on the interview, Biden and State Sect. Blinken have thus proclaimed America’s support for Ukraine’s “territorial integrity, and not necessarily her entrance into NATO despite the fact she is already a strategic partner, perhaps as a way to leave the door open for diplomacy.

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