Kiev and Westerners worked for weeks strengthening Russian military potential on the Ukrainian border. Moscow denies all bellicose vellitis.
Le Monde with AFP
The situation remains extremely tense at the Russian-Ukrainian border. Russia accused Wednesday 1 December, Ukraine to massage troops in the east of the country, where the combat power of prerussion separatists. For its part, Moscow denies all bellicose vellite. The Ukrainian authorities, however, fear an imminent invasion and call their Western allies to dissuade the Kremlin from coming there.
It is in this context that the spokesperson for Russian diplomacy, Maria Zakharova, assured Wednesday that “the Ukrainian army strengthens his military capacities, bringing heavy equipment and staff” in the East from the country. According to her, 125,000 soldiers are in this area near the Russian borders and where panels of territories are under control of preruss separatists. M me Zakharova also accused Kiev to sabotage the peace process started in 2015 with the separatists by providing for military exercises in the presence of foreign troops next year.
The Chief of Russian diplomacy, Sergei Lavrov, lasted Wednesday the “destructive policy” of NATO countries, who “seek to attract Ukraine to their orbit and to turn it into an anti-industrial country.” Accusing the Westerners also want to “dictate how the Russian armed forces must behave on their own territory,” he warned that Moscow “will continue to respond to any unfriendly approach”.
Russian president, Vladimir Putin, assured Tuesday that it was necessary to “mend the links” with Kiev, so that “nobody feels threatened”.
“deterrent package” against Russia
Ukraine asked Wednesday to NATO countries together in Riga (Latvia) a “deterrence package” against Russia. “We are confident that combining our efforts, acting in a coordinated way, we will be able to dissuade President Putin and encourage him not to choose the worst scenario of a military operation,” said the head of the Ukrainian diplomacy. , Dmyro Kuleba, upon his arrival at this meeting. He also evoked possible economic sanctions and reinforced military support in Kiev.
“We remain determined to provide political and practical support to Georgia and Ukraine,” said NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg. The day before, Mr. Stoltenberg and the leader of American diplomacy, Antony Blinken, had warned of a single Moscow voice against any “aggression” aimed at Kiev, who would have “serious consequences”.
m. Blinken will meet Thursday in Stockholm his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, announced Wednesday a US manager. In parallel, the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelensky, called on Wednesday, in an address in Parliament, to “direct negotiations” with Russia to “stop the war” in the east of his country.
Kiev has been at war since 2014 with Prorussian separatists in eastern Ukraine. The peak of current tension recalls a previous crisis, in April, when Russia had made tens of thousands of soldiers at Ukrainian borders for “military exercises”, in response to “threatening” activities of NATO. After several weeks of tensions, Moscow had finally recalled his troops.