Putin's accusation and a crisis edging towards February
A look back at the diplomatic exchanges around 1 February 2022, as warnings, denials and troop announcements piled up.
What did the leaders involved say about war in the days leading to 1 February 2022? The answer was a mixture of warnings, denials and accusations.
On 1 February 2022, Russian President Vladimir Putin accused the United States of trying to draw Russia into war in Ukraine. In his account, Washington wanted a pretext to impose more sanctions in order to contain Russia's development. He also said the United States had ignored Russia's concerns about NATO expansion in Eastern Europe.
Warnings from Washington
Putin's remarks followed a week of alarming signals. On 27 January 2022, US President Joe Biden told Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky by telephone that the Russians could invade Ukraine in February. The following day, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov responded to the warning by saying Russia was not interested in starting a war.
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko spoke on the same day, 28 January. He said Belarus might go to war if it or Russia were attacked, while insisting that his country did not want a war with Ukraine.
Support for Kyiv
Other governments were also acting. On 26 January 2022, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced that Operation Unifier would be extended for three years. Sixty more troops were to be sent to Ukraine in the coming days, and his government announced a shipment of non-lethal equipment and intelligence sharing.
A naval exercise off Ireland
The tension also reached the Atlantic. Russia had proposed naval and air exercises southwest of Ireland, in international waters but within Ireland's exclusive economic zone, planned for 3 to 8 February 2022. On 29 January, Irish Minister for Foreign Affairs Simon Coveney announced that the Russian Minister of Defence had agreed to his request to move the exercises outside the Irish zone. The planned exercises were later cancelled by Russia at the request of the Irish government.
By 1 February 2022, then, the public positions were clear. Washington was warning of a possible invasion, Moscow was denying any wish for war while accusing the United States of seeking a pretext for sanctions, and Minsk was stressing it did not want a war with Ukraine.
