Russian diplomacy ruled on Tuesday that NATO and the United States are turning Ukraine into a "
powder keg
" by supporting this country, in the grip of a conflict with pro-Russian separatists, and which accuses Moscow of massing troops in its borders.
Read also: Russian troops on the borders of Ukraine: the G7 calls on Russia to stop its "provocations"
“
The volume of (military) aid is increasing.
The United States and other NATO countries are consciously turning Ukraine into a powder keg
”, accused Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Riabkov, quoted by Russian press agencies.
He also hammered that Russia was ready to intervene to defend its nationals, while Moscow has distributed hundreds of thousands of passports in eastern Ukraine while denying any political and military support for the separatists.
“
We will do everything to ensure our safety and the safety of our citizens wherever they are.
But the responsibility for this hypothetical worsening of the situation will rest with Kiev and its Western sponsors,
”he added.
These statements then intervene the Ukrainian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dmytro Kouleba, to participate this Tuesday in discussions at NATO headquarters in Brussels, in the company of the Secretary General of the Alliance, Jens Stoltenberg, and the head of American diplomacy. , Antony Blinken.
The day before, Dmytro Kouleba told Ukrainian television that these discussions will focus "
on the practical support that Ukraine can obtain in the event of a large-scale armed escalation
".
Ukraine, which fears the Kremlin is looking for a pretext to attack it, has accused Russia of massing more than 80,000 troops near its eastern border and in Crimea, annexed by Moscow in 2014 after the arrival of pro - Westerners in power in Kiev.
At the same time, the fighting on the front, which was almost at a standstill since a truce concluded in the summer of 2020, has resumed with intensity in recent weeks.
This Tuesday, the Ukrainian army announced the death of one of its soldiers during a drone attack which also left two injured, about thirty kilometers north of Donetsk.
Since the beginning of the year, 29 Ukrainian soldiers have been killed while the country had lost only 50 soldiers in the whole of 2020. The separatists have also reported about 20 dead.
"
De-escalation
"
G7 foreign ministers and the EU's foreign minister on Monday called on Russia to stop its "
provocations
" and to engage in "
de-escalation
".
Sunday, Anthony Blinken warned Moscow about the "
consequences
" in the event of
Russian
"
aggression
" in Ukraine.
The Kremlin has not denied these troop movements but assures that it does not threaten anyone, accusing Kiev on the contrary of "
provocations
" aimed at "
worsening the situation on the front
".
Last week, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called on NATO to speed up his country's membership in order to send a “
real signal
” to Russia.
Since 2014, this conflict has left more than 13,000 dead and nearly 1.5 million displaced.
Moscow is widely regarded as the instigator of this war, despite its denials.