The United States and the European Union have warned Russia of "massive consequences” in the event of military aggression against Ukraine and called for a return to diplomacy to de-escalate tensions.
In a call with reporters on December 17, a senior U.S. administration official said the United States and Europe are preparing a list of measures to punish Russia if the Kremlin undertakes military action against its smaller neighbor.
Russia is reported to currently have about 100,000 troops stationed near Ukraine in what the United States has said could be a prelude to an invasion of its neighbor. Russia has carried out aggression against Ukraine in the past, illegally annexing the Crimean region in 2014 and supporting separatists in two of Ukraine's eastern provinces in a war that has killed at least 13,200 people since April of that year.
“If there is any further aggression against Ukraine, that will have massive, massive consequences and will carry a high price,” the senior administration official said. “The results will be very profound on the Russian Federation.”
The senior administration official said the measures being considered are mainly economical and financial but declined to give any details.
The U.S. comments echo those made by European leaders a day earlier in a joint statement at the end of a one-day summit in Brussels, demonstrating the West’s united front against the Kremlin.
"Any further military aggression against Ukraine will have massive consequences and severe cost in response, including restrictive measures coordinated with partners" in Britain and the United States, the EU leaders said in their statement on November 16.
Neither the U.S. senior official nor the European leaders specified what would constitute further military aggression.
Russia has denied it is planning to invade Ukraine. However, the country continues to build up its forces near the border with Ukraine, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg warned on December 16.
"We see no sign that this buildup is stopping or slowing down. On the contrary, it continues," he told reporters during a joint news conference with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy at NATO headquarters.
At the same conference, Zelenskiy called on the West to impose sanctions on Russia now to deter the Kremlin from military action against his country.
The United States and the EU also urged Moscow to engage in the stalled peace talks to resolve the nearly eight-year war between Ukrainian forces and Russia-backed separatists in the east.
Germany and France have been mediating those talks between Ukraine and Russia. However, no summit has been held in two years. Russian President Vladimir Putin has not accepted Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s repeated offers to meet.
The senior U.S. administration official said Washington is ready to support the peace talks and expressed hope that a new cease-fire and prisoner exchange could be reached later this month.
