The Russian ministry had reported yesterday the start of a troop withdrawal after concluding a series of military exercises near Ukraine. However, the Secretary General of NATO, Jens Stoltenberg, cooled any expectations in this regard by pointing out that the organization does not see any sign that Moscow was lowering its troop levels in and around Ukraine.
“We have not seen any de-escalation on the ground for now; on the contrary, it seems that Russia continues to reinforce its military presence”Stoltenberg declared, after a meeting of NATO Defense Ministers in Brussels. Consequently, the Norwegian politician announced that the transatlantic alliance will strengthen its defenses in eastern Europe with more deployments in its member countries bordering Ukraine.
russia soldiers border ukraine
Photo: AP
At the end of last year, Russia concentrated around 150,000 soldiers – according to US estimates – in the east, north and south of Ukraine.which prompted calls from Washington and NATO to withdraw them for fear of a Russian invasion of their neighbor. The Kremlin denied those accusations, denounced hostile activities by NATO near its territory and demanded guarantees so that it does not continue to expand towards its borders, at the same time that it demanded a military withdrawal to the positions of 1997, before its successive enlargements in Eastern Europe. Those requests were rejected in late January by the United Stateswhich however left the door open to discuss other issues, such as the deployment of missiles or the reciprocal limits of military maneuvers.
The alleged Russian withdrawal was also ruled out this Wednesday by the US Secretary of State, Antony Blinkenwho told ABC News television that Washington it did not see “a significant withdrawal” of Russian troops. Something similar affirmed the Ukrainian president in television statements: “We’re seeing small rotations, I wouldn’t call it a withdrawal of forces by Russia. We don’t see any change.”
Ukraine soldiers
Photo: Getty Images
Zelenski, who decreed a Day of Unity for this Wednesday, attended military exercises near Rivné, in the west, and then traveled to Mariupol, the last city in the east that is under government control. This town, which is about 20 kilometers from the positions of the pro-Russian separatists who have been in an armed conflict in the country since 2014, it is considered as one of the territories under threat in case of an invasion. “We are not afraid of any eventuality, we are not afraid of anyone, of any enemy; we will defend ourselves,” said Ukrainian Presidentdressed in a green military-style coat.
On the occasion of Unity Day, many streets of Kiev were filled with flags and evacuation exercises were organized in some schools of the capital, according to the AFP news agency. These patriotic demonstrations coincided with the Kremlin’s call for “serious negotiations” with the United Stateswhile European leaders continued to call for a negotiated solution to the crisis. Washington, for its part, asked for more evidence of the de-escalationalthough President Joe Biden extended his hand and declared himself open to finding a solution through diplomatic channels.
Russian soldiers on the border with Ukraine
The announcement was applauded today by Kremlin spokesman Dmitri Peskov: “That the president of the United States has also expressed his readiness for serious negotiations is a good thing.” At the diplomatic level, the leaders of the European Union will participate tomorrow in a meeting in which they will discuss the situation in Ukraine, considered the worst security crisis in Europe since the Second World War.
Kiev, for its part, asked to convene a meeting in the next 48 hours “to clarify the next steps” of the Permanent Council and the Forum for Security Cooperation of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), one of the few places of exchange in which both the United States and Russia participate. As tweeted by Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmitri Kuleba, it is not enough to announce a withdrawal of Russian troops because “transparency and facts are needed”.
Source: Ambito
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