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After General Mark Milley held telephone conversations with the Chief of Staff of the Russian Armed Forces, Valery Gerasimov, and the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Ruslan Khomchak, a higher level of surveillance for the US forces deployed in Europe.
At that time, the White House national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, called Andriy Jermak, head of Ukraine’s presidential office, to reiterate Washington’s support for his country.
“We are concerned about the recent escalation of Russian aggression in eastern Ukraine, including violations of the ceasefire regime that came into effect in July 2020, which killed four Ukrainian soldiers and injured two others on March 26.” said Pentagon spokesman John Kirby.
“Russia’s destabilizing actions are undermining the reduction in tensions that an agreement reached last July through the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe has helped to achieve,” he said.
According to Kirby, the US military is aware of reports from Ukraine about the movement of Russian troops to the country’s borders.
“We are discussing our fears about this escalation of tensions over violations of the ceasefire regime and regional tensions with NATO allies,” said a Defense Department spokesman.
On Tuesday, Moscow and Kiev exchanged accusations of escalating fighting between Ukrainian government forces and Kremlin-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine. At least 16 Ukrainian soldiers have died here since February.
Khomchak condemned the “threat to Ukraine’s military security” from the Russian army. According to him, currently in eastern Ukraine there are about 28 thousand. separatist militants and “more than 2,000 Russian military instructors and advisers.”
According to reports on the internet, Russia has mobilized more forces on the border and relocated more troops to Crimea, which was annexed by Moscow in 2014.
These reports cannot be verified, but some commentators have linked it to Russian military exercises.
Kirby said General Milley’s call to the Russian army chief of staff was “to get a clearer idea of what is really going on.”
“Of course, we do not want to see any more violations of the Ukrainian territory,” he said.
In a conversation with Jermak, Sullivan reiterated “the strong US support for Ukraine’s sovereignty, territorial integrity and Euro-Atlantic aspirations as the country continues to face aggression,” the White House said in a statement.
In response to Russia’s actions, US forces in Europe have received a heightened level of vigilance about a “potential impending crisis,” Kirby said.
According to him, the increased level of surveillance announced “reflects the commanders’ concern about the potential threat.”
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