Chufut-Kale consists of two fortresses linked together by small underground passageways and caves below. (Photo: Tran Hieu / VNA) The Karaites Jewish chapel was built in the 14th century inside the Chufut-Kale fortress. (Photo: Tran Hieu / VNA) Chufut-Kale’s western fortress was built by the Alans of the mighty Sarmatian tribe on the Crimean peninsula in the 7th-8th century. (Photo: Duy Trinh / VNA) The large caves inside the Chufut-Kale fortress are used as the residence of the Karaites. (Photo: Tran Hieu / VNA) The multi-layered cave system creates the mystery of the Chufut-Kale fortress. (Photo: Tran Hieu / VNA) Around the 14th century, the Karaites settled in the fortress, expanding the eastern part of the fortress, named Yany-Kale (meaning New Fort). (Photo: Duy Trinh / VNA) The Karaites settled in the fortress around the 14th century, creating new settlement caves inside Chufut-Kale fortress. (Photo: Tran Hieu / VNA) Chufut-Kale is considered a cave city, one of the most interesting monuments on the Crimean peninsula. (Photo: Tran Hieu / VNA) The ancient fortress Chufut-Kale was built on Mount Burunchak, surrounded by steep cliffs and a multi-layered battle cave system. (Photo: Tran Hieu / VNA) The southern side of the fortress is a sloping slope, easy to access, but there are many anti-intrusion traps. (Photo: Tran Hieu / VNA) From Mount Burunchak, visitors can panoramic eyes to observe a large area of ​​the Crimean peninsula. (Photo: Duy Trinh / VNA) The eastern rampart of the fortress was built around the 14th century. (Photo: Tran Hieu / VNA) The three sides of the fortress are steep cliffs, creating a natural defense, inviolable. (Photo: Tran Hieu / VNA) Mount Burunchak is surrounded by steep cliffs and a multi-layered cave system inside, is a tourist attraction. (Photo: Duy Trinh / VNA) Unique souvenirs of the Tartar Crimea are sold to visitors visiting Chufut-Kale fortress. (Photo: Tran Hieu / VNA) The exclusive road connecting the ancient fortress Chufut-Kale with Bakhchisarai town center is about 3km away. (Photo: Tran Hieu / VNA)

Last week, the administration of US President Joe Biden imposed sanctions on Russia. (Source: Getty) On April 23, White House top international economic aide Daleep Singh said that the US sanctions imposed on Russia last week had achieved “pretty close” results. Washington, amid tensions between the two countries over Ukraine, seems to have eased. “Our intention is to act adequately, to focus on our approach, as well as to signal that we are likely to cause greater losses if Russia continues,” Mr. Daleep Singh stated. To date, the results of the sanctions are quite close to our expectations. ” Earlier, the Russian Defense Ministry said it had begun withdrawing military units from the Crimean Peninsula to its permanent bases after deploying tens of thousands of soldiers near the Ukrainian border area, causing concern. afraid of war. Last week, the administration of US President Joe Biden imposed sanctions against Russia for “intimidating” Ukraine, meddling in the US election in 2020, cyber attacks and other actions. . Mr. Biden passed provisions to make it easier for officials to extend sanctions in any sector of the Russian economy in response to future aggression. However, Mr. Biden also stressed that he did not want to escalate tensions with Russia.

On April 13, Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Joe Biden held a telegram to discuss the tensions in Ukraine, security issues and the importance of nuclear arms control. . The White House has also proposed holding a formal meeting “in a third country”.

In a statement on April 13, US officials confirmed that the two leaders of Russia and the US had talked about “a series of regional and international issues”.

Presidents Biden and Putin telephoned, but Russia-US relations are still difficult to escape tension. (Photo: RT)

Specifically, President Biden has “voiced concerns about unusual Russian military maneuvers” on the Crimean peninsula and along the Ukrainian border. Mr. Biden called on Moscow to take action “to cool down”.

The exchange between the Russian-US President comes at a time when the danger of conflict between the Ukrainian army and Moscow-backed militants inside the Donbass region of eastern Ukraine shows signs of pushing up into a total war. The move to mobilize large numbers of troops and weapons by the Kiev government has led Russia to also strengthen its military presence along the Ukrainian border.

Some Western countries accuse Moscow of planning to invade Ukraine, but Russian officials have repeatedly denied.

In a move intended to show support for Ukraine, Washington dispatched two warships to the Black Sea.

For its part, the Kremlin says the situation in Donbass is “extremely horrible”, and Russian diplomats have previously expressed concerns with their American counterparts.

But US State Department spokesman Ned Price said that Washington was worried about receiving “credible reports” about the movement of Russian troops near the border between Russia and Ukraine and called for “Russia. restraint to avoid escalating stress ”.

Over the past few months, the US-Russia relationship has deteriorated. Moscow even summoned the Russian ambassador to the country to conduct urgent discussions about the future of relations with Washington.

Specifically, the Russian ambassador to the US, Anatoly Antonov, returned home after in an interview President Biden called Putin a “murderer”. Mr. Biden’s comments have met with strong criticism from many Russian officials.

For his part, Putin used a maxim to disprove Mr. Biden’s claim. According to Mr. Putin, Mr. Biden is “breaking our belly to the stomach”.

“I remember that when we were kids, we played together on the field and used to say ‘belly-up’. It is not a joke or a kid’s sentence, this one has a profound psychological meaning. We always see our own qualities in others and think they really are like us, “Putin said.

According to Putin, the US is “determined” to build relations with Russia, but “only on matters that are beneficial to the US”.

Concluding a phone call between the two presidents on April 13, the US said that Biden’s goal was to build a “predictable and stable relationship with Russia in line with American interests”. In addition, the US also proposed to hold a summit in the next few months, to create an opportunity for the two leaders to “discuss the issues that Russia and the US are facing together”.

In a statement at the end of April 13, the Kremlin said President Biden “expressed a desire to normalize bilateral relations” and sought a consensus on arms control operations, chapter nuclear process, situation in Afghanistan and global climate change problem.

In the past, Russian President Putin met with Biden’s predecessor, former President Donald Trump, in Helsinki in 2018.

For now, Moscow is still skeptical of the White House wanting to hold a constructive dialogue.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, “No one allows the US to talk to Russia in a strong position.” Instead, the two countries should treat each other fairly, Mr. Peskov said.

Russia in response?

Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu was quoted by Russian media on April 13 as saying that Moscow was taking measures in response to a threatening military action by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), in which has combat readiness testing and training.

The Russian Defense Minister stated clearly, NATO is planning to deploy 40,000 troops and 15,000 weapons and military equipment near the Russian border, including the strategic air force. Mr. Shoigu further announced that the US is moving part of its North American garrison to Europe, which is mainly concentrated in the area near the Black Sea and Baltic Sea.

Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu

Shoigu, the TASS news agency, accused the US of increasing forces in Poland and the Baltic countries, and increasing the frequency of air and sea reconnaissance activities. He asserted that on European territory, NATO annually conducts about 40 large-scale combat training operations against Russia. This spring, NATO launched its largest-scale military exercise in the past 30 years, titled Defender Europe 2021 (Defender Europe 2021).

Mr. Shoigu stressed that Russia is taking measures to respond to NATO’s threatening military activities. The combined Russian large-scale airborne and joint military exercises have demonstrated the ability to be ready to fight to protect the country’s security.

Also on April 13, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg urged Russia to withdraw troops that the alliance thinks Moscow is deploying on a large scale on the border with Ukraine. Speaking at a press conference to Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba, Mr. Stoltenberg said: “In recent weeks Russia has dispatched thousands of troops ready to operate in Ukraine’s border areas. This is the largest troop surge since Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014 … Russia must end this military build-up in and around Ukraine, immediately stop provocations and go downstairs. “.

US troops in NATO are deployed to Poland

A day earlier, Mr. Stoltenberg had a meeting with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken to discuss “Russia’s move to strengthen the army near the Ukrainian border”. According to a statement by the US State Department, Secretary of State Blinken and Secretary General Stoltenberg discussed an urgent request for Russia to stop its military build-up along the border areas of Ukraine and the Crimean peninsula.

President Vladimir Putin has also voiced denunciation of NATO conducting exercises on the Russian border and America’s intention to expand its influence over former Soviet members. In April, up to 5 out of 10 NATO exercises will be held in member states in the East.

NATO says it’s good …

According to Ukraine, Russia has deployed 46 tactical battalions – about 105,000 troops – along the border with Ukraine and in Crimea, and is provided with 19,000 tons of fuel and 355 tons of ammunition. Kiev urges allies not to repeat the 2014 “mistake” with events in Crimea and Donbass.

During a press conference with US and Western officials in Brussels, Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said: “Strategically, Russia must understand that Ukraine belongs to the world of democracies, to the Western world, and the West will not let Russia disrupt Ukraine’s democracy and sovereignty.

Ukrainian soldiers

Western analysts say that both Russia and Ukraine may be “trying” the new US President Joe Biden to see how far he is willing to go to protect Washington’s allies and confront Russia. There are also comments that Russia wants to send a message to Ukraine after Kive imposed sanctions on congressman and businessman Viktor Medvedchuk, and banned three TV channels related to Mr. Medvedchuk.

Up to this point, the West still believes that a full-blown Russian strike or a NATO-backed attack against the separatists will not happen at this time. “NATO members will not send any forces to Ukraine,” said expert Bruno Lete, a senior researcher at the German Marshall Fund – a US research agency. the term is in political messaging, military advice and technical assistance. “

Many analysts believe that NATO allies would not be willing to engage their forces in a conflict against Moscow because of the Ukraine issue, but they could strengthen other forms of assistance. On April 14, German Defense Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer said: “My impression is that the Russian side is trying to do whatever it takes to provoke a response … With Ukraine, we will not be caught up in the process. play this “.

From Crimea to Syria and most recently Nagorny-Karabakh, Russia has demonstrated its determination and unpredictable combat capabilities.

Most observers believe that the current situation will not necessarily lead to an immediate attack, but Russia’s intentions are still unclear, according to politico.eu. very worrying. The West believes that Russian President Putin wants to remain unpredictable, so there is little risk of a completely unexpected war, but there is always a risk of miscalculation or overreaction.

On the Russian side, some analysts in this country said that the outbreak was “a direct result of the internal political situation in Ukraine”. The Russian Expert newspaper assessed that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky took drastic measures such as fighting the opposition media allegedly pro-Russia, punishing billionaire Medvedchuk who allegedly has close ties to the Kremlin, or ban Russian language in schools aimed at regaining its image in the country.

Meanwhile, the World Socialist Web Site contains information proving that Ukraine, the US and the West are acting “aggressive, provocative” against Russia. Accordingly, Kiev in early March adopted a strategy to “withdraw the Crimean peninsula”. On March 25, President Zelensky also adopted a new military strategy emphasizing the urgency of mobilizing the entire population in a war against Russia in Ukraine. This strategy recognizes that Ukraine can only win with NATO support and no less than 19 mentions of its intention to join the military alliance.