US vows 'strong response' if Russia deploys troops, nukes in Latin America

Washinton will not be “intimidated” by “aggressive” Russian brainstorming about putting military hardware near the US, Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield said on Tuesday. It is to mention that Linda’s remarks come after Kremlin spokesman Dmitri Peskov hinted that Moscow might try to station missiles in some Latin American countries to counter US and NATO deployments near Russia. Peskov has said that in the context of the current situation, Russia is exploring options that would ensure its security. 

To this, US Ambassador to the US Linda Thomas-Greenfield, while speaking to Washington Post, said, “The Russians are pulling every straw out of the basket that they can pull out to intimidate us into allowing them to take this action. They know that if they take such an aggressive action against the United States that they can expect a response, and that response will be a strong response.”

She added, “I know that they’re trying to respond in a way to intimidate the world, but we’re not going to allow ourselves to be intimidated, nor will we allow Ukraine to be intimidated into compromising its own security.”

Ukraine border tensions 

Linda did not elaborate on why a purely hypothetical Russian military deployment near US shores would be ‘aggressive’ while the ongoing US and NATO buildup on Moscow’s doorstep is not. Russia has repeatedly expressed concerns about the construction of US missile defence facilities in neighbouring Poland and Romania. It has also asked the US and NATO to halt its eastward creep into Ukraine and other former Soviet countries. 

The US, on the other hand, has concocted more than a dozen possible options to respond to a ‘Russian invasion’ of Ukraine. A top US diplomat has stated that Washington’s conversations with allies have been about acting swiftly against Moscow, should the situation escalate in Europe. However, he did not elaborate on what the measures would exactly be.

Tensions between Russia and the West have been soaring ever since Moscow ramped up its military presence near its border with Ukraine, raising concerns of a possible Russian ‘invasion’. Russia has held round table talks with NATO and the US separately after publishing two draft agreements over its security proposals that preclude the alliance’s eastward expansion. But despite the failure to reach a quick agreement, all parties expressed their willingness to continue discussions.