US warns Russia as Kremlin raises ‘war threat’ in Ukraine
MOSCOW: The Kremlin on Thursday voiced concern about a possible escalation of fighting in a separatist conflict in eastern Ukraine as the United States issued a strong warning to Russia to stay away from Ukraine.
Ukrainian and Western officials have worried about a Russian troop build-up near Ukraine, fearing it could herald an invasion. But Moscow has insisted it has no such intention and accused Ukraine and its Western backers of making up the claims to cover up their own allegedly aggressive designs.
US secretary of state Antony Blinken warned Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov at their meeting in Stockholm on Thursday that “if Russia decides to pursue confrontation, there will be serious consequences,” adding that “the best way to avert a crisis is through diplomacy.” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said in Moscow that “the Ukrainian authorities’ aggressive and increasingly intensive provocative action on the line of contact” fuelled fears about a possible flare-up of hostilities. He argued that recent statements from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and other Ukrainian officials indicate that “the Ukrainian leadership doesn’t exclude a forceful scenario.” “The probability of hostilities in Ukraine still remains high,” Peskov said.
Denis Pushilin, the head of the self-proclaimed separatist republic in Donetsk, said on Russian state TV that he could turn to Moscow for military assistance if the region faces a Ukrainian attack.
Ukrainian officials have denied an intention to reclaim the rebel regions by force.
Russia’s top domestic security agency, the FSB, announced Thursday it has arrested three Ukrainian men accused of spying and plotting an explosion.
Ukrainian foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba tweeted after meeting with Blinken in Stockholm
that “we are closely working together on developing a comprehensive deterrence package, including severe economic sanctions, to demotivate Russia from further aggressive moves.”
Kuleba also spoke to EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell about speeding up “work on specific economic restrictions which will be able to hit the Russian economy should Moscow decide to launch a new stage of aggression against Ukraine.”
The top Ukrainian diplomat noted that the EU Council has approved €31 million in material and technical assistance for strengthening the Ukrainian armed forces’ capability in the spheres of medicine, engineering, demining activities, mobility, logistics and cybersecurity. “We highly appreciate this step which reaffirms the strategic Ukraine-eu relations,” he said.
Ex-soviet neighbours Russia and Ukraine have remained locked in a tense tug-of-war since Russia annexed Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula in 2014 following the ouster of the country’s Kremlin-friendly president and threw its weight behind a separatist insurgency in eastern Ukraine which has killed more than 14,000.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has warned NATO against deploying its troops and weapons to Ukraine, saying it represents a red line for Russia and would trigger a strong response. He said Wednesday that Moscow would seek Western guarantees precluding any further NATO expansion and deployment of its weapons near Russia’s borders.
Blinken said “we have deep concerns about Russia’s plans for renewed aggression against Ukraine,” adding that “it’s a concern that is shared by many in Europe.” He was speaking during a meeting with Lavrov on the sidelines of a ministerial meeting of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe in Stockholm.
Blinken reaffirmed that the US has “a strong, ironclad commitment to the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine.”