Thousands of Russian soldiers have positioned themselves on the border with Ukraine in the past few weeks.
NATO assures Ukraine of its support.
Brussels - The situation in Eastern Ukraine is of concern.
Russia has relocated thousands of combat-ready soldiers in the past few weeks, * said NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg on Tuesday on the sidelines of a meeting with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmitri Kuleba in Brussels.
The considerable concentration of the armed forces was "unjustified, unexplained and deeply worrying".
According to NATO, the Russian troop deployment along the border with Ukraine is the largest since the annexation of the Crimean peninsula in 2014. In view of the troop deployment, international fears are growing that the conflict between Russia and Ukraine could escalate again.
Germany's Foreign Minister Heiko Maas also expressed concern.
"The large-scale and unannounced troop movements are threatening and destabilizing," he tweeted: "We call on Russia to stop provocations and immediately reduce tensions in line with its international obligations."
As a result of the conflict in Ukraine, parts of the eastern Ukrainian regions of Donetsk and Luhansk along the Russian border have been controlled by separatists loyal to Moscow for almost seven years.
In 2014, under President Vladimir Putin *, Russia also annexed the Black Sea Peninsula of Crimea with its more than two million inhabitants.
According to UN estimates, more than 13,000 people were killed as a result of the fighting.
In the past few weeks, there have been repeated fatal incidents in eastern Ukraine despite an agreed ceasefire.
NATO assures Ukraine of support against Russia
Stoltenberg assured Ukraine that the military alliance would support Russia.
"NATO is on the side of Ukraine," said Stoltenberg on Tuesday after the meeting with Kuleba in Brussels.
He called on the government in Moscow to stop provocations such as troop mobilization on the Ukrainian border “immediately”.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Kuleba warned against repeating "mistakes" from then.
In 2014, Russia quickly pursued its military objectives in Crimea and eastern Ukraine, "while our Western partners were still considering their reactions."
But now Russia will no longer be able to take Ukraine off guard, warned Kuleba.
His country does not want war and is not planning an offensive.
But "should Moscow take any reckless step (...) it will be costly in every respect." Stoltenberg assured him "considerable practical support".
Russia accuses NATO of turning Ukraine into a “powder keg”
Since mid-February there has been increased fighting between pro-Russian rebels and the government army in eastern Ukraine.
Among other things, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken was in Brussels on Tuesday for talks with NATO partners on the situation in Ukraine.
A meeting with his Ukrainian counterpart was planned for the afternoon.
Meanwhile, Russia accused NATO and the US of deliberately turning Ukraine into a “powder keg” by delivering military goods there.
"Kiev and its Western allies will bear full responsibility for the consequences of any deterioration," said Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Riabkov, according to Russian media.
Federal Defense Minister * Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer (CDU) demanded a declaration * of Russian intentions from Moscow.
"If Russia has nothing to hide, it could easily explain which troops are being moved where and to what destination," wrote the minister on Twitter on Saturday.
Russia declared that it was not accountable to anyone for troop movements on its territory.
(dp / dpa / AFP) * Merkur.de is an offer from
IPPEN.MEDIA
.