The United States and the European Union have voiced concern about Russia’s reported military movements in the vicinity of Ukraine and warned Moscow that any aggressive actions would amount to a “serious mistake.”
Russia seized Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula in 2014 and has been supporting a separatist insurgency that broke out that year in eastern Ukraine.
Kyiv last week complained that Russia has kept tens of thousands of troops near the border, claiming that some 90,000 Russian soldiers were stationed in the frontier area and in the separatist-controlled eastern Ukraine.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on November 12 reiterated Washington’s concern about Russia’s actions and warned Moscow against an invasion.
“We’re very concerned about some of the irregular movements of forces that we see on Ukraine’s borders,” Blinken told reporters.
“It would be a serious mistake for Russia to engage in a repeat of what it did in 2014,” Blinken said, reiterating a warning made earlier in the week during a meeting in Washington with the Ukrainian foreign minister, Dmytro Kuleba, when he also said the U.S. commitment to Ukraine’s security and territorial integrity was “ironclad.”
On November 12, the commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian armed forces, Lieutenant General Valeriy Zaluzhny, said Russia had massed some 2,100 military personnel in the separatist-controlled areas, adding that Russian military officers hold all commanding positions in the separatist forces.
In Brussels, EU foreign affairs spokesman Peter Stano told journalists that the bloc was alarmed by Russia’s military activities close to Ukraine’s border.
“We continue to watch the situation and the information we gathered so far is rather worrying,” Stano said.
He said the 27-member bloc was monitoring the situation with partners including the United States and Britain and “we are open to look at further steps as necessary.”
EU chief Ursula von der Leyen also discussed the situation around Ukraine with U.S. President Joe Biden during a visit to Washington this week.
Russia has insistently denied having any aggressive intentions, with Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov saying Moscow “does not pose a threat to anyone,” but it needs to ensure its security in response to alleged increasing “provocative actions” by NATO.
“We mind our own affairs and take measures to ensure our security if necessary, if there are provocative actions of our opponents near our borders,” Peskov said.
Moscow has been backing its ally Belarus amid a border crisis as thousands of migrants the EU accuses Minsk of weaponizing are camped out at Belarus’s border with EU member Poland.
Russia this week launched a military show of support for Minsk and its strongman leader, Alyaksandr Lukashenka, by flying Russian nuclear-capable strategic bombers over Belarus, and on November 12 announced joint military drills with Belarusian troops near the border with Poland.
