In a statement to the UN Security Council, US Secretary of State Anthony Blanken said Russia is looking into the possibility of using Russia as an excuse to attack Ukraine.
He cited terrorist attacks and accusations of atrocities against Ukraine as possible pretexts that Russia might use to attack Ukraine. He said:
“Russia is planning to find a pretext for the attack. The pretext may be an incident of violence that Russia will blame on Ukraine, or it may be a cruel accusation against the Ukrainian government. We do not know exactly how this accusation was made. It may be a fake terrorist attack on Russia. Or maybe it’s a fake mass grave, maybe a demonstration drone attack on civilians, or maybe a real but self-inflicted attack in which chemical weapons were used. Russia may call the incident a genocide or genocide.”
The US Secretary of State has said that in the event of such a move, Russia would apparently call for an emergency Security Council meeting.
The summit will be followed by air and rocket attacks on Ukraine.
Mr Blanken added that after the airstrikes, Russian forces would enter Ukraine and occupy “key areas already targeted”.
But he also referred to a diplomatic solution, saying Russia still has a chance to find another way to resolve the conflict.
