BarcelonaThe United States closed its embassy in Kyiv this morning after receiving “specific information about a possible major airstrike” during the day. “That US citizens be prepared to take shelter immediately in case an air alert is announced,” the embassy added in a statement, where it recommends following local media news, identifying nearby shelters and following the instructions of Ukrainian officials in case of emergency.
The alert in the Ukrainian capital comes after a new move by US President Joe Biden in relation to Ukraine. After authorizing Kyiv to use US long-range missiles (ATACMS) against Russian territory, and with two months to go before Donald Trump takes over the White House, the president has now approved the supply of mines ground anti-personnel in Ukraine. According to officials of his administration quoted by several American media, including the The Washington Postthe aim is to strengthen Ukrainian defenses against advancing Russian troops.
The rotating quote highlights that the new movement, like that of long-range missiles – known as ATACMS, by its acronym in English – is also “potentially controversial” and recalls that more than 160 countries have signed an international treaty that prohibits the ‘use of anti-personnel mines for the indiscriminate damage they can cause on the civilian population. An official quoted in the article says that it is a type of “non-persistent” mines, which self-destruct or become inactive in a few days and weeks, and adds that the Kyiv government would have promised not to use those in densely populated areas. However, the newspaper notes that gun control experts continue to see it as a safety hazard.
Biden had actually been reluctant to send mines to Ukraine because of the risk they pose to civilians, but Russia’s progress on the battlefield may have changed his mind. All of this comes as the war marks 1,000 days and a day after the Ukrainian military launched ATACMS missiles against Russia for the first time, one of which hit a military installation. Russian President Vladimir Putin’s response was to approve a doctrine to enable the use of nuclear weapons in response to conventional attacks by countries with the support of nuclear powers.
“We will understand this [l’atac ucraïnès] as a qualitatively new phase of the Western war against Russia and we will react accordingly,” Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov warned on Tuesday. Awaiting further long-range attacks and the Kremlin’s reaction to the approval of the supply of anti-personnel mines, for now the United States has closed its embassy this morning due to a potential attack.
U.S. moves in support of Ukraine are seeking a stronger position for Kyiv at the negotiating table in the face of the possibility of Trump forcing peace with Russia, analysts say. The Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelensky, redoubled his call for help in Brussels on Tuesday, where he assured that the number of North Korean soldiers at the front “could reach 100,000”, and last night he addressed in Washington. In an interview with the Fox News network, he has stated that if the US cuts the funds for his country, Ukraine will lose the war. “I think it is very dangerous that we lose unity in Europe and, more importantly, unity between Ukraine and the United States,” he said.
