Russia has not withdrawn military hardware from the area near the border with Ukraine since announcing a pullback of troops last month, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said today.
The comments echoed statements made last week by US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, who noted that a significant number of Russian forces and military troops remain on the border with Ukraine following a stand-off between Ukraine and Russia that alarmed the West.
Asked about the possibility of a full-scale Russian intervention, the Ukrainian president said that there was no such possibility at the moment, but added that no one could guarantee anything.
Zelensky also stressed that he expected a “strong message” from the NATO summit to be held in June.
Ukrainian Foreign Ministry: who are guided by the logic of not provoking Russia and believe that sitting and doing nothing is the best way to keep Russia calm
At the same time, Kyiv does not expect the NATO summit to lead to Ukraine’s Membership Action Plan (MAP), because some Member States are concerned that such a move will be provocative towards Russia, Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said on Tuesday.
“Regarding the obstacles, unfortunately, there are still several countries among the allies who are guided by the logic of not provoking Russia and believe that sitting and doing nothing is the best way to keep Russia calm,” he told the Ukraine 24 channel.