US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Sunday said that the United States and its allies in Europe were concerned about Russia’s movements in Kyiv as the tensions on Ukraine’s eastern border continues, AFP reports. He further went on to warn Moscow of consequences if it acts aggressively. 

There has been a troop build-up at Ukraine’s Donbas region for weeks, causing unrest in the country that has been struggling between the pro-Russia and pro-West ideologies. 

As per AFP, Blinken spoke at NBC’s ‘Meet the Press’, expressing President Joe Biden and the United States’ stand on the tensions at the former Soviet Union border.

“I have to tell you I have real concerns about Russia’s actions on the borders of Ukraine. That’s why we’re in very close contact, in close coordination, with our allies and partners in Europe. All of us share that concern,”  Blinken said.

“President Biden’s been very clear about this. If Russia acts recklessly, or aggressively, there will be costs, there will be consequences,” he added.

Ukraine has accused Russia of amassing thousands of military personnel on its northern and eastern borders as well as on the annexed Crimean peninsula. The Kremlin, which has not denied the troop movements, said Sunday it was not moving towards war with Ukraine — but also that it “will not remain indifferent” to the fate of Russian speakers in the conflict-torn region.

The White House this week said the number of Russian troops at the border with Ukraine was now greater than at any time since 2014, when the conflict erupted after Russia’s annexation of Crimea from Ukraine. The conflict in Ukraine’s east has claimed more than 13,000 lives and turned into a nagging problem in Moscow’s relations with the West.

Fighting has subsided in the past few years but a diplomatic solution to settle the eastern regions’ status has stayed out of reach. Crimea is still recognized as part of Ukraine by the United Nations, and Kiev vows to one day win it back.

Biden, who previously oversaw Washington’s policies on Ukraine, is viewed as a strong ally by Ukrainians and his top diplomat Blinken, in talks this week with his French and German counterparts, agreed on supporting Ukraine against “Russian provocations”.

Germany has also taken an anti-Russia stand on the issue. During a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin, German Chancellor Angela Merkel demanded a reduction in troops at the Ukrainian border. “One subject of their conversation was, among others, the increased Russian military presence near eastern Ukraine. The chancellor called for a reduction of these troop reinforcements to de-escalate tensions,” the German government said in a statement.

Ukraine, a country geographically divided between Europe and Russia, e. The fourth Ukrainian president, Viktor Yanukovych, was pro-Russia and backed away from EU Association Agreement in November 2013 to prevent the country from turning to the West. Yanukovych’s U-turn over signing the agreement triggered protests and he had to flee to Russia.