Russia denies looking for pretext to invade Ukraine
RUSSIA’S top diplomat has angrily rejected US allegations that it was preparing a pretext to invade Ukraine as Russian troops have remained near the border.
The White House said on Friday that US intelligence officials had concluded that Russia had already deployed operatives to rebelcontrolled eastern Ukraine to carry out acts of sabotage there and blame them on Ukraine in a “false-flag operation” to create a pretext for possible invasion.
Speaking to reporters on Monday, Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov dismissed the US claim as “total disinformation”.
He reaffirmed that Russia expects a written response this week from the US and its allies to Moscow’s request for binding guarantees that Nato will not embrace Ukraine or any other ex-Soviet nations, or station its forces and weapons there.
Washington and its allies firmly rejected Moscow’s demands during last week’s Russia-US negotiations in Geneva and a related Nato-Russia meeting in Brussels, which were held as an estimated 100,000 Russian troops with tanks and other heavy weapons are massed near Ukraine in what the West fears might be a prelude to an invasion.
Amid the troops build-up, Russia has held a series of war games in regions that border Ukraine.
On Monday, the military announced the launch of another exercise involving armoured units in the western part of Russia including 300 combat vehicles.
A delegation of US senators is visiting Ukraine to emphasise the US support for the country.
“Our bipartisan congressional delegation sends a clear message to the global community: the United States stands in unwavering support of our Ukrainian partners to defend their sovereignty and in the face of persistent Russian aggression,” senator Jeanne Shaheen, a New Hampshire Democrat, said.