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Highlights
- US has pledged to put Moscow on the backfoot at the UNSC over Ukraine issue.
Ukraine’s ambassador to the US has claimed that Russia is planning to invade Ukraine.
Around 100,000 Russian soldiers are currently stationed near the Ukrainian border.
- Russia has rejected Washington's warnings about attacking Ukraine.
The ongoing tension between the US and Russia over Ukraine intensified further on Sunday as the US government sought to step up diplomatic pressure on Moscow. The US vowed to put Moscow on the backfoot at the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) as US lawmakers were preparing to seal the deal on “the mother of all sanctions” against Russia.
US ambassador to the United Nations, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, has stated that the UNSC is set to put pressure on Russia during its Monday session to hold talks over the massive gathering of Russian forces near Ukraine border.
Ukraine’s ambassador to the US, Oksana Markarova, has claimed that Russian President Vladimir Putin is planning to invade Ukraine as he wants to launch an “attack on democracy.”
It is highly unlikely that the UNSC would take any formal action against Moscow as Russia enjoys veto power in the UNSC and has good relations with some UNSC members too, including China.
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According to reports, around 100,000 Russian soldiers are currently stationed near the Ukraine border.
Image source: © Mrallen | Megapixl.com
Russia wants NATO to promise that it will never include Ukraine in its alliance or deploy its weapons near Russian borders. The demands raised by Russia have been called impossible by both NATO and the US.
Meanwhile, the head of Russia’s Security Council, Nikolai Patrushev, has rejected Washington's warnings about an invasion, calling them 'completely ridiculous'. Patrushev said that Russia is not interested in invading Ukraine.
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How will Russia’s Ukraine invasion impact the energy market?
If a war breaks out between the US and Russia, then it is certain that Washington will impose strict oil-related sanctions on Moscow and this move will affect the supply of crude oil across the globe. Any oil-related sanctions on Russia would impact the crude oil prices, which might rocket to new highs.
European nations are already worried over their energy supply due to the rising tension between the US and Russia, which is the second largest oil producer in the world.
Europe is dependent on Russia for at least 35% of its natural gas needs. The European nations receive their supply of Russian natural gas through pipelines, which run across Belarus and Poland to Germany. Nord Stream 1 supplies natural gas to Germany, and others through Ukraine.
In case of a full-fledged conflict between Russia and the US, Germany might stop the new Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline from Russia. It is expected that the new Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline would increase the imports of gas to Europe.
