The Pentagon on Wednesday March 31 expressed concern over rising tensions at the borders of Ukraine and Crimea after reports from the Ukrainian army on reinforcements of Russian troops in these regions.
Read also: War in Ukraine: Moscow accuses Kiev of escalation
"
We are concerned about the recent escalations of Russian aggression in eastern Ukraine, including violations of the July 20 ceasefire agreement which led to the deaths of four Ukrainian soldiers on the 26th. March, while two others were injured,
”said US Department of Defense spokesman John Kirby.
“
Russia's destabilizing actions are undermining the de-escalation of tensions that had been achieved
” thanks to the ceasefire between Ukrainian forces and pro-Russian separatists, he added, while armed clashes have increased since January.
Kiev and Moscow have accused each other of the escalation.
The Ukrainian military recently reported a Russian military deployment on the country's northern and eastern borders, as well as in Crimea, but observers have linked the movements to military exercises.
“
This is one of the reasons why (....) we contacted the Russians, to try to clarify what exactly is going on
,” explained John Kirby.
13,000 dead
The Chief of Staff of the United States Armed Forces, General Mark Milley, spoke on Wednesday with the Russian Chief of Staff, Valery Gerasimov, and the Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, Ruslan Khomtchak, the official said. spokesperson.
Rouslan Khomtchak denounced Tuesday "
a threat to military security
", affirming that the separatists have 28,000 fighters in eastern Ukraine and "
more than 2,000
Russian
military instructors and advisers
".
Moscow has always denied having men or weapons on the ground.
John Kirby indicated that American forces based in Europe had been placed in a phase of enhanced surveillance against a "
potential imminent crisis
" and that the United States had raised the tensions in Ukraine with its NATO partners.
On Tuesday, US President Joe Biden's national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, assured "
the United States'
"
unwavering support for sovereignty, territorial integrity (of Ukraine) in the face of continued aggression.
" , during a telephone interview with Andrei Yermak, an adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
The conflict, which has claimed more than 13,000 lives, began in 2014 just after Russia's annexation of Crimea in the wake of a pro-Western revolution in Kiev.