The U.S. General says the invasion of Ukraine would have terrible consequences

General Milley has described the deployment of nearly 100,000 Russian troops near the Ukrainian border as the biggest step since the Cold War.

But US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin has said that the conflict can still be avoided through diplomacy.

Russia denies it plans to invade Ukraine and that it sees American support for this state as a threat.

At a news conference at the Pentagon, General Milley .

If this thing started in Ukraine, it would be huge, very large and result in a large number of victims”, Milhouse said.

US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin has said that the United States is committed to helping Ukraine defend itself, including supplying more weapons.

“Conflict is not inevitable. There is still time and room for diplomacy”, Austin has said, calling on Russian President Vladimir Putin to reduce tensions.

There is no reason for this situation to go into conflict... He could order the evacuation of” troops, he added.

On Friday, January 28th, President Biden has said he will send a small number of military troops to Eastern Europe at the nearby <x0nd>” to strengthen NATO's presence in the region.

He has not specified where exactly they will be positioned and when troops will arrive.

Earlier this week, the Pentagon has said 8,500 military troops are prepared to start immediately after the order is issued.

The United States has rejected a key Moscow request that NATO reject Ukraine, but have insisted they are offering Russia “a serious diplomatic path”.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has accused the West of ignoring Russia's concerns on security issues.

But he said he would study the American answer before deciding what he would do, was said in the details published after the phone conversation between Putin and his French counterpart, Emmanuel Macron.

France has said the two leaders have agreed that it needs to reduce tensions and that President Macron has told Putin that Russia must respect the sovereignty of neighbouring states.

Warnings from the Pentagon have come after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has told reporters not to create a panic about the deployment of Russian troops to the border.

At a media conference in Kiev, Zelensky has said he sees no greater threat now than during a similar deployment of Russian troops in the spring of last year.

There are also signals from respected heads of state, they say there will be war tomorrow. This is panic. How much does it cost our country? ”

“Destabilisation of the domestic situation” poses the biggest threat to Ukraine, he has said.

Moscow's demands on the West include those that:

Ukraine not admitted to NATO

NATO ends military activity in Eastern Europe and withdraws troops from Poland and Baltic republics, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania

Atlantic Alliance not deploy missiles to countries close to or border with Russia

The United States and NATO have responded by saying Ukraine has the right to elect its allies, but have offered Russia the possibility of negotiating rockets and other issues.

If Russia invades Ukraine, this would not be the first time.

Russia annexed the Ukrainian Crime Peninsula in 2014.

This country also supports rebels in conflicts in eastern Ukraine, in which about 14,000 people have died. / REL