US at OSCE: Kremlin's plans for Ukraine include destabilization from within

The United States is concerned about Russia's plans for escalation against Ukraine, including efforts to destabilize the country from within.

“We remain deeply concerned by evidence Russia has made plans for significant escalation against Ukraine, including a large-scale military operation and efforts to destabilize Ukraine from within.  We are, as always, monitoring the region very closely and we will continue to consult closely with Allies and partners on this issue,” Chargé d’Affaires of the U.S. Mission to OSCE Courtney Austrian said at the OSCE Permanent Council meeting, an Ukrinform correspondent reported.

The diplomat noted that the United States will impose severe costs and consequences on Russia if it takes further aggressive action.  “We likewise call on Russia to cease its attempted integration of Ukrainian citizens and Ukrainian territory it controls through passportization, economic alignment, and changes to the education system,” Austrian said.    

She underscored that Russia’s ongoing aggression against Ukraine, with its military build-up on Ukraine’s border, “is the greatest security threat facing Europe today.”

“By violating its neighbor’s sovereignty and undermining its territorial integrity, Russia aims to prevent Ukraine from its freely chosen path of full Euro-Atlantic integration,” the Chargé d’Affaires of the U.S. Mission to OSCE said.

Earlier, Head of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine Kyrylo Budanov stated that Moscow is conducting a large-scale special operation against Ukraine in the energy, economic, and military spheres.

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