Ukraine in focus as pressure mounts before Biden - Putin talks

Vladimir Putin stated on Nov. 30 that the placement of
missiles by NATO in Ukraine is a red line for Russia. Putin was speaking at an
online investment forum, at which he also stated that the emerging challenge
threatens Russia’s core security interests, apnews.com reported.

Putin also pointed to recent maneuvers by the U.S. Air
Force. A B-1 bomber drills over the Baltic and Black seas in November flew “as
close as 20 kilometers to our border”, Putin stated, and was seen as a threat.
“The matter is not whether to send troops or not, but to establish a more fair
and stable development and taking into account the security interests of all
international players,” he stated.

A call or video meeting between Biden and Putin is
slated for the near future, and Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Foreign
Minister Sergey Lavrov are expected to discuss the timing while at the OSCE
meeting in Stockholm on Dec. 2-3, bloomberg.com reports.

James Hydzik: Commenting on the B-1 drill, Forbes notes that the two bombers could
carry enough LRASM missiles to sink Russia’s entire Black Sea Fleet 
without leaving NATO’s air space. Moreover, it is the first time that Ukrainian
fighter aircraft accompanied U.S. bombers. While some analysts are claiming
that the Russian military maneuvers were designed mostly to get Biden to talk
to Putin, the concern by the Russians at the display of resolve on the part of
NATO and the US in particular on military matters seems genuine. How that will
translate into decreasing the tension regarding Ukraine remains to be seen.