Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has been informed that the day of the Russian attack will be Wednesday, February 16.

First the CNN reported it in a breaking news, then Zelensky himself stated that he was informed that the day of the Russian invasion will be February 16, adding however that "it is not the first time that this date is mentioned".

“Our country is stronger than ever”, Zelensky said again, inviting all the population on February 16 to “wave the Ukrainian flags and wear the national colors. We will make February 16th the day of unity ”.

"We want peace and we want to resolve all issues exclusively through negotiations", he added, praising the Ukrainian army which is "much stronger than it was eight years ago".

US - There has been "a dramatic acceleration" in the deployment of Russian forces on the border with Ukraine, said US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, calling on "all Americans still in Ukraine to leave the country immediately" .

Russia "over the weekend strengthened its military device on the border with Ukraine", the Pentagon said. The entire US embassy has been temporarily moved from Kiev and Lviv.

The CBS, quoting an American official, writes that some Russian troops near the border with Ukraine have started to move into "attack positions, moving part of the long-range artillery into firing position".

"POSSIBLE AGREEMENT" - On the other hand, EU sources argue that the invasion could only be "a bluff that is far from imminent". And the Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov himself argues that there are "chances of finding an agreement". "The opportunities for dialogue are not exhausted, there is always a chance to solve the problems that need to be solved".

Boris Johnson and Joe Biden themselves agreed in a phone call that "there remains an opportunity to resolve the crisis with diplomacy."

And Pentagon spokesman John Kirby, while reiterating that Russian military action "is possible at any time", says: "We do not believe that Vladimir Putin has already made a final decision".

DI MAIO - Tomorrow, Tuesday 15, Italy too will try the card of direct diplomacy to arrive at a peaceful solution.

The first mission planned by Rome is entrusted to Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio, expected in Kiev and then in Moscow. Under the double track: support for Ukraine, but also an open channel with the Russians, in line with the prudent approach pursued by European partners such as France and Germany, compared to the more uncompromising line of the Americans towards the Kremlin.

In Kiev, the head of the Farnesina will reiterate that Italy supports the "sovereignty and integrity of Ukraine", with respect to a possible Russian aggression. To his Russian colleague Serghiei Lavrov, who is waiting for him in Moscow probably on Thursday, Di Maio will bring "clear, unitary, firm messages, in close coordination with our European partners and allies, NATO and OSCE, that discourage any aggression or escalation". In the logic of a "firm posture of deterrence" shared by Prime Minister Mario Draghi with Western leaders in the videoconference last Friday.

At the same time, Rome wants to keep the door open to confrontation with Moscow, "to foster a diplomatic and sustainable solution", explained Di Maio on the eve of his mission. "Sustainable" is one of the keywords used by Italy in this crisis, which gives a sense of how delicate the implications of a possible economic retaliation against Moscow are.

THE GAS NODE - On the other hand, the EU has to deal with energy dependence on the Russians. Italy is one of the most exposed countries (over 40% of gas imports arrived from Moscow in 2020), and it is no coincidence that the issue of supplies was among the issues at the center of the telephone conversation between Draghi and Putin last February 1st.

(Unioneonline / L)

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