Biden looks to NATO to deter Russian aggression against Ukraine

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has warned of a possible Moscow-backed coup attempt.

Volodymyr Zelensky says he has received information through Ukrainian security services that a coup would be undertaken as soon as Wednesday. Picture: AFP

The Biden administration plans to use a meeting of NATO foreign ministers to focus on how the ­alliance should respond to Russian military pressure on Ukraine as the Ukrainian President warned on Friday of a possible Moscow-backed coup attempt.

The meeting, which is scheduled to begin on Tuesday, comes amid debate within the alliance’s ranks about how to be firm about the possibility of Russian aggression, as it masses troops near Ukraine, while keeping political channels open to Moscow.

Karen Donfried, the top State Department official for European affairs, said the US was deeply concerned about “large and unusual” Russian troop movements near Ukraine, which American officials have warned allies could be a prelude to invasion.

She said the US was looking at a range of options and wanted to use the NATO meeting to discuss how the alliance could act together.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky accused Russia of backing a plan to overthrow him. Mr Zelensky said on Friday that he had received information through Ukrainian security services that a coup would be undertaken on Wednesday and Thursday.

He said the Ukrainian government had intelligence as well as audio intercepts in which Russian and Ukrainian conspirators were heard discussing the possible participation of billionaire Ukrainian businessman Rinat Akhmetov in the alleged plot.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov rejected the allegation.

US President Joe Biden said he was concerned about the situation in Ukraine and that “we ­object to anything remotely ­approaching” the alleged coup plot. He said that he would likely talk with Mr Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The Biden administration has yet to spell out what the consequences of Russian aggression would be. The gathering of NATO foreign ministers, however, offers an opportunity for the West’s premier military alliance to take a unified stance against Russia’s sabre rattling. But the ­alliance operates on the basis of consensus and perceptions of imminence of Russian action within the organisation vary. Ukraine, while not a NATO member, will take part in the discussion at the alliance’s meeting.

Ahead of the meeting, which takes place in Riga, Biden administration officials have discussed varied options should Moscow take military action against Ukraine in the next several months. Options include steps to strengthen Ukraine’s defences, including providing more air defences and other military support, and imposing tougher economic sanctions on Russia.

Other options are designed to reduce the risk of a confrontation with Moscow, including constraining US military exercises in Europe, which the Russians complain are provocative and pausing military aid to Ukraine.

“There’s a tool kit that includes a whole range of options,” Ms Donfried said. “We will begin that conversation of what are the ­options that are on the table and what is it that NATO as an ­alliance would like to do together.”

The Biden administration is also considering taking a more ­assertive role in the Minsk process – a diplomatic effort between Ukraine, Russia and Europe to find a solution for the crisis, which was triggered in 2014 by Russia’s annexation of Crimea and continuing support for armed separatists in eastern Ukraine. Stepped-up diplomatic efforts could appeal to NATO members who are anxious to keep political channels open with Moscow and might ­facilitate efforts to forge a common stance within the alliance.  There is no sense that a Russian invasion is imminent. Rather, the concern is that a substantial force has been positioned near Ukraine, and that more men and material could be rushed in relatively quickly, which would beef up the Kremlin’s military options.

Russia has said that it isn’t planning an invasion. Some current and former US officials worry that Mr Putin remains deeply suspicious of the West’s intentions and could precipitate a crisis when he calculates that Europe is more dependent on Russian ­energy, Mr Zelensky is weak, and NATO is experiencing residual tensions over the US withdrawal from Afghanistan.

The Wall Street Journal