Ukrainian Defense Minister Alexei Reznikov: Putin is playing chess with the West 
Ukrainian Defense Minister Alexei Reznikov said that the Ukrainian border is a test of strength for the West. This is reported by the Washington Post.
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According to Reznikov, Russian President Vladimir Putin is playing chess with the West. “He tests the strength of the unity of the European Union, he tests the strength of the unity of NATO allies, he tests our society, Ukrainians, he tests Poland and the Baltic countries,” the politician explained.
Reznikov claims that US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin shares his conclusions about the situation on the Russian-Ukrainian border. At the same time, he noted that the movements of Russian troops cause somewhat greater concern on the American side than on the Ukrainian side. “We assess threats in the same way, the only difference is in the perception of risk,” he said. “We have been living in such an environment for the eighth year, we have developed a kind of psychological immunity.”
According to Reznikov, the authorities of the United States, Europe and Ukraine should convince Putin to abandon the invasion of Ukraine. “We have to stop him before this happens, not after,” he said. “This time it will not be like in Crimea … It will be a bloody massacre.” “We don't know exactly what Mr. Putin is up to, but these maneuvers are definitely getting our attention,” he said.
Earlier, the head of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Mark Milli, admitted that there is active movement in the United States. Russian troops near the border with Ukraine. However, Washington does not consider such actions by Russia to be aggressive. Milli said it is “too early to say for sure” what this might mean.
On October 30, The Washington Post announced a buildup of Russian troops near Ukraine. According to the newspaper, “unusual movements of equipment and military” in the west of Russia were recorded after the completion of the large-scale exercises “West-2021”. The Pentagon said that the United States is monitoring the situation on the border between Ukraine and Russia.