Biden, US, Russia could face up to 175,000 troops in Ukraine

This may include adverts from us and 3rd parties based on our understanding. It comes as US intelligence sources warned that Russia is poised to attack the country next year with as many as 175,000 troops, citing a build up of infantry, tanks and artillery in four key locations. Ukraine officials say the attack could happen as early as January. Ian Brzezinski's father, Zbigniew, who was national security advisor under President Jimmy Carter, said there were alarming parallels between today and 1980 when the US used robust tactics to dissuade the USSR from entering Poland to quell its pro-freedom movement.

Putin has more than 100,000 Russian troops on the eastern and northern frontiers of Ukraine today, as well as the occupied territories of Crimea, said Brzezinski, a senior fellow think tank at the Atlantic Council. In 1980, the USSR had more than 30 Soviet, Czech and East German divisions in the field, deployed to execute an invasion into Poland. We don't have the same military force posture as we did during the Cold War. Nato is diluted and needs to be addressed. We desperately need a military muscle movement that involves the deployment of Allied forces to Nato's eastern frontier and Ukraine itself. Just sending a single ship once in a while isn't enough. The West must show that it is prepared to launch a complete economic embargo if Russia does attack. This didn't happen even after the invasion of Crimea in 2014, and sanctions against individuals were targeted and they had no effect, he said. There must be a shift to the same sanctions in 1980 when the US was threatened to shut off pipelines and ports and deny all ships access. According to Brzezinski, who served as the US deputy secretary of defence for Europe and Nato under President George W Bush, urged those who claim Russia is bluffing to think again. He said that those who don't like the idea of Putin trying to squeeze the gas market or leverage Biden seem to forget the reality that Russian forces are poised for offensive action. Putin has already invaded Georgia and Ukraine. This is someone who doesn't believe Ukraine is an entity, and that its independence is a historic wrong against the Russian people. He said my father was extremely proud of the work he and President Carter did to halt what was considered an imminent Soviet invasion of Poland. It was a close-run thing. Last week, a potential invasion was discussed at the Nato meeting of foreign ministers in Riga. US President Joe Biden said he was putting together a comprehensive and meaningful set of initiatives to make it very hard for Putin to go ahead and do what people are worried he's going to do. He and Putin are going to talk about the issue in a video call later this week.