The US Secretary of State and his German and French counterparts called on Russia to stop amassing troops on its border with Ukraine and reiterated their support to Kyiv, the US State Department said.
Statements made by the three countries’ foreign ministers suggest that consultations are being intensified between NATO countries over the mobilization of Russian troops and ceasefire violations by pro-Russian rebels in eastern Ukraine (according to allegations by Ukrainian and Western officials).
The movements of Russian forces raise concerns over Moscow’s plans to send troops to Ukraine. The Kremlin denies that its military forces are a threat but says that they will remain there as long as necessary.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke separately with the Minister of Europe and Foreign Affairs, Jean-Yves Le Drian, and the German Minister of Foreign Affairs, Heiko Maas, US State Department spokesman Ned Price said.
Blinken and Le Drian “discussed the need for Russia to end dangerous and irresponsible rhetoric, to stop amassing forces in occupied Crimea and near the border with Ukraine and to put an end to its unilateral provocations” in eastern Ukraine.
Heiko Maas had a telephone conversation with Antony Blinken during which they “stressed the importance of supporting Kyiv to face unilateral Russian provocations” on the front line in eastern Ukraine.
They also agreed that it was necessary for Moscow to “immediately” stop its military mobilization and “inflammatory rhetoric”, Price added.
White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki told reporters that the United States had diplomatic contacts with Russia and other countries over the matter of the “escalating Russian aggression” in eastern Ukraine and the movements of Russian forces near the Ukrainian border.
Jen Psaki said on Thursday that Russia had amassed one of the largest numbers of troops near Ukraine’s eastern border since 2014 when Moscow annexed Crimea. In March 2014, as the conflict in eastern Ukraine escalated, the West estimated that 25,000-30,000 soldiers or members of the special forces had concentrated on the Russian-Ukrainian border.
Source: ANA-MPA