LONDON (Fwrd Axis) — The British government on Saturday claimed Russia is planning to replace Ukraine’s government with a pro-Moscow administration with Yevheniy Murayev being considered as a potential candidate.
The U.K. government made its claim without providing any evidence but Britain’s Foreign Office named other Ukrainian politicians it said had links with Russian intelligence.
“The information shines a light on the extent of Russian activity designed to subvert Ukraine and is an insight into Kremlin thinking,” Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said.
Britain has sent anti-tank weapons to Ukraine as part of the effort to help against a potential Russian attack. The White House called the U.K. government assessment “deeply concerning” and U.S. President Joe Biden held a national security meeting at Camp David on Saturday.
“This kind of plotting is deeply concerning,” said National Security Council spokeswoman Emily Horne. “The Ukrainian people have the sovereign right to determine their own future, and we stand with our democratically-elected partners in Ukraine.”
A meeting Friday between U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov ended with no breakthrough.
The U.S. State Department is currently warning U.S. citizens not to visit Ukraine due to the coronavirus pandemic but also hinted about potential Russian aggression.
Today President Biden met with his national security team in person and virtually at Camp David to discuss continued Russian aggressive actions toward Ukraine,” the White House said in a statement.
“President Biden was briefed on the current state of Russian military operations on Ukraine’s borders and discussed both our ongoing efforts to de-escalate the situation with diplomacy and our range of deterrence measures that are being coordinated closely with our Allies and partners, including ongoing deliveries of security assistance to Ukraine. President Biden again affirmed that should Russia further invade Ukraine, the United States will impose swift and severe consequences on Russia with our Allies and partners.”
