United States officials have turned up the pressure on Russia for boosted troop presence along its international border shared with Ukraine, according to US media reports.
As the United States has continued to scope any escalation along the borders, Secretary of State Antony Blinken is preparing to meet Ukraine’s top diplomat in Washington DC later this week.
Karen Donfried, assistant secretary of state for Europe and Eurasia, said that senior Russian officials have been warned of potential consequences for any increased threat to Ukraine’s security from what she called “unusual military activity near Ukraine”, according to reports from Associated Press.
She would not discuss specific consequences for Russia, but administration officials have in the past said boosting military support for Ukraine is one option.
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William Burns, the Director of United States’ CIA, was leading a delegation to Moscow earlier this month. Donfried was also a part of the diplomatic representation and later traveled to the Ukrainian capital to speak to the country’s officials about the meeting.
Donfried said in a statement, “Any time we see unusual Russian military activity near Ukraine we make clear that any escalatory or aggressive action is of great concern to the United States”, according to reports from Associated Press.
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The diplomat added, “We are very clear that we support Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity and that our commitment to that has not changed and is unwavering and that we will continue to stand with Ukraine and we will condemn any Russian aggression against Ukraine in all its forms.”
Ukraine’s Defense Ministry said last Wednesday that about 90,000 Russian troops are stationed not far from the border and in rebel-controlled areas in Ukraine’s east. It said specifically that units of the Russian 41st army have remained in Yelnya, about 160 miles (260 kilometers) north of the Ukrainian border.