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Reuters on Monday quoted White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki as saying the United States expressed concern about Russia’s “military deployment” on the border with Ukraine and was closely monitoring the situation.
On the same day, Moscow warned NATO not to send troops to eastern Ukraine after Kiev authorities accused Russia of “military deployment” on the borders of the two countries.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told the Interfax news agency that any NATO military deployment would cause tensions to escalate. And then Russia was forced to “take additional measures to ensure its safety.”
At the same time, Peskov declared that Russia did not threaten anyone and ignored the accusations of “military deployment” on the border with Ukraine.
Ukrainian soldiers stand guard near the town of Vodiane, in the Donetsk region. Photo: AP
The comment was made by Peskov when Moscow announced on April 2 that it would conduct exercises near the border with the participation of more than 15,000 soldiers, electronic warfare and air defense units.
Before that, the American forces in Europe raised the alarm due to the “recent escalation of Russia”. US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin spoke with his Ukrainian counterpart on April 1. Austin vowed to support Kiev.
According to the White House, in a phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on April 2, President Joe Biden affirmed America’s unwavering support for Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.
Also on April 2, German Chancellor Heiko Maas and his Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Kuleba agreed that “the de-escalation is very important so as not to endanger the ceasefire.”
The week-long front-line clashes have led to the breaking of the ceasefire, prompting fears of an escalation of the conflict in regions east of Ukraine, including Donetsk and Lugansk.
Just a week ago, four Ukrainian soldiers died in the conflict zone. Initial reports blamed pro-Russian separatists for the mortar attacks. Later, the Ukrainian army assumed that the snipers shot in the back of the four soldiers.
The latest escalation in tensions sparked video calls between German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Russian President Vladimir Putin and French President Emmanuel Macron earlier this week.
Putin blamed Ukraine and urged Kiev to have a direct dialogue with local separatist forces.
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