US plans to provide Ukraine with intelligence on Russia's actions along Donbas region

As tensions on the Moscow-Kyiv border continue to simmer, the Pentagon has decided to chalk out a plan to provide battlefield intelligence to Ukraine in order to help the country respond more quickly to the potential Russian invasion, a senior administration official told the New York Times on Saturday.

The shared information could include images, videos and other related content to ascertain if Russian troops are strolling towards the Ukraine border from the Donbas region (where the Russian troops are currently deployed), to allow Kyiv stall any possible aggression. This comes after Washington sought to project support for the former Soviet nation's sovereignty from Russia.

Nevertheless, the official acknowledged that the US Defence Department's move could irk Russian President Vladimir Putin, who has, through his repetitive hostile assertions, blamed America and North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) for fuelling tensions between the two former Soviet nations.

"The US intelligence agencies are already giving Ukraine access to more information than before the alleged Russian military build-up and this may result in Ukraine striking first," a source close to the matter admitted to New York Times, under conditions of anonymity.

The report comes two days after Putin suggested that Russia will not "sit idly against "unfriendly steps rising from aggressive western politics," according to the Associated Press.

It is to be noted that the tensions between Russia and Ukraine have escalated since 2014 when the former seized the Crimean Peninsula. Also, Russia-backed rebels have since been fighting Ukrainian forces. More than 14,000 have lost their lives in the bitter tension between the nations.

Recently, with Moscow amassing over 90,000 troops in Ukraine's Donbas territory, experts like Evelyn Farkas, who was a top official in former US President Barack Obama's administration, believe that Putin has just declared war.

Ukraine President discusses Russia with US senators

On Friday, 20 US senators sat for a video call with President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, amid a further escalation of tension, with Washington warning Russia of economic sanctions in case of invasion. According to information from Zelensky's office, as quoted by the Associated Press, the senators and congressional representatives spoke about the Russian military build-up and Kyiv's "Euro-Atlantic aspirations" and its prospects for NATO membership, which Russia strongly opposes.

Nevertheless, referring to Putin's demand for a "guarantee" against Ukraine joining NATO, Zelensky stressed that "not a single third country can have a say in Ukraine's integration into NATO."

(With inputs from AP)

(Image: AP)