Daily US Times: Amid reports of a large Russian military build-up on Ukraine borders, Moscow has warned Nato against sending any troops to help Ukraine.
Dmitry Peskov, a spokesman of Kremlin, said Russia would take “additional measures” if Nato were to make such a move.
Sporadic, low-level clashes continue in eastern Ukraine between Russian-backed separatists and Ukrainian forces.
United States military stationed in Europe are now staying on higher alert, citing “escalations of Russian aggression” in the area.
A Nato official said that Russia was undermining efforts to reduce tensions in eastern Ukraine. On Thursday, Nato ambassadors had met to discuss the situation.
The Nato official told Reuters news agency: “Allies share their concerns about Russia’s recent large-scale military activities in and around Ukraine.”
President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine joined the criticism of Russian military build-up, saying “military exercises and possible provocations along the border are traditional Russian games”.
White House said in a statement that in a phone call with the Ukrainian president on Friday, US President Joe Biden “affirmed the United States’ unwavering support for Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity in the face of Russia’s ongoing aggression in the Donbas and Crimea.”
Meanwhile, Dimitry Peskov accused Ukrainian forces of staging “provocations” on the frontline in eastern Ukraine, where a fragile ceasefire is violated daily.
Dmytro Kuleba, the foreign minister of Ukraine, said that there had been a build-up of Russian military at the northern border between Ukraine and Russia, along the eastern border and “also in the illegally occupied Crimea”.
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