‘Kyiv may use force to reclaim rebel regions’
The Kremlin voiced concern on Thursday about what it described as belligerent rhetoric of the Ukrainian leadership, saying it raises concerns about a possible escalation of fighting in a separatist conflict in eastern 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.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry
Peskov said Thursday that "the Ukrainian authorities' aggressive and increasingly intensive provocative action on the line of contact" gives grounds for concerns about a possible flare-up of hostilities.
He said 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 in a conference call with reporters. Ukrainian officials have denied an intention to reclaim the rebel regions by force.