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Russian President Vladimir Putin
Photo: PAVEL BEDNYAKOV / KREMLIN POOL / SPUTNIK / EPA
The Russian government has accused US President Joe Biden of "destabilizing" comments after his comments on Russia's troop deployment on the Ukrainian border.
In the conflict, the same statements were "repeated again and again," said Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov in Moscow.
“You're not doing anything to ease tensions.
Rather, they can help to destabilize the situation.«
At a press conference in the White House on Wednesday, Biden again warned against a Russian invasion of Ukraine and threatened Moscow with “serious” consequences if this were to happen.
War has been raging in eastern Ukraine between pro-Russian separatists and the Ukrainian army since 2014.
Kiev and the West accuse Moscow of providing military support to the separatists, which the Kremlin denies.
In the past few weeks, Russia has massed tens of thousands of soldiers on the Ukrainian border.
In the West, therefore, an impending attack by Russia on the neighboring country is feared.
Biden has now warned Russian President Vladimir Putin that an invasion of the neighboring country would also result in a "disaster" for Russia: "Our allies and partners are ready to impose heavy costs and significant damage on Russia and the Russian economy." Russia's army suffers "heavy" casualties.
Peskov said Biden's comments could "raise completely false hopes in the hotheads of some Ukrainian officials."
He accused the Ukrainian side of "possibly wanting to solve the problem in south-eastern Ukraine by force".
With regard to the Russian troop deployment near the Ukrainian border, Moscow argues that this is taking place on its own territory and therefore threatens “nobody”.
At the same time, the Kremlin states that it feels threatened by NATO and is demanding "security guarantees" from the western alliance, including a renunciation of further eastward expansion.
NATO rejects this.
Flashing on crisis tour
Because of the crisis, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is currently in Berlin for talks with European colleagues.
On Thursday morning he was received by Federal Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock (Greens), who wanted to discuss the conflict with Russia with French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian and Great Britain's Deputy Foreign Minister James Cleverly.
In the afternoon, Blinken will meet Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD).
Blinken held political talks in Kiev on Wednesday.
Blinken will meet his Russian colleague Sergey Lavrov in Geneva on Friday.
mrc/AFP
