Ukrainian Ambassador to Germany Andriy Melnyk believes that Germany should take the escalation of tensions near Ukraine’s eastern border much more seriously than it is now. The diplomat expressed this opinion in an interview with the publication of the media group Funke, which will be published on Wednesday, November 17 .
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“Never since 2014 – when the Russians annexed Crimea and parts of eastern Ukraine by force of arms – has the danger of a new large-scale invasion been as acute as these days,” Melnyk said. Berlin should “take this threat much more seriously,” the Ukrainian ambassador said.
Melnyk: About 114,000 Russian servicemen may be stationed near the Ukrainian border and in Donbas
The head of the diplomatic mission confirmed that Ukrainian and Western intelligence services have been observing a massive increase in the concentration of Russian troops for several days now. According to Andriy Melnyk, “near the eastern border of Ukraine” and in Donbass there are about 114 thousand Russian soldiers. In the annexed Crimea, “about 32,000 troops are stationed and probably several thousand in Belarus,” the ambassador added.
Melnyk called alarming the fact that the Russian military left heavy weapons after large-scale maneuvers in April and autumn. Moreover, “additional troops may be ordered to return to the attack within a few days,” he said.
The Ukrainian diplomat is waiting for “hard signals” from Putin from Berlin
On behalf of the government in Kyiv, the head of the Ukrainian embassy in Berlin called on leading politicians at the head of parties that could form a ruling coalition in Germany to send “tough signals” to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The diplomat believes that the Russian leader should be prevented from succeeding in his efforts in “destabilization tactics” and “attempts at blackmail” – whether it is “gas supplies, migrants or redeployment of troops.”
“Much tougher sanctions” should be imposed on Moscow, such as the embargo on Russian oil and gas imports, Andriy Melnyk said. According to him, the Nord Stream-2 gas pipeline – “as the Kremlin’s main weapon” – should also be “stopped forever.” “It will make Putin think,” he added.
EU “ready to learn next steps”
On November 12, the European Union expressed concern over reports of Russian troops moving in areas bordering Ukraine. “We continue to monitor the situation, and the information we have gathered so far is alarming,” said EU foreign policy chief Peter Stano, adding that the EU was “ready to explore further steps” with partners including the United States and the United Kingdom. .
Context
In early November, The Washington Post reported that the Russian military was being pushed to the border with Ukraine.
U.S. and European officials told the paper they saw “unusual movements of equipment and troops on Russia’s western flank” and began recording it after the September 20-15 Russian-Belarusian exercise, West-2021. The article emphasizes that the movement of troops is taking place against the background of the fact that Russia has taken a tougher position on Ukraine, and the conflict in Donbass “has entered a new stage.”
Politico later published satellite images confirming reports that Russia was once again concentrating troops and military equipment on the border with Ukraine.
The news has caused concern among some officials in the United States and Europe.
At the same time, the press secretary of the President of Ukraine Serhiy Nikiforov stated that Ukraine has no confirmation of the information that Russia is again increasing the number of troops in the Crimea, ORDLO and near the Ukrainian borders. The Ministry of Defense calls these reports elements of psychological or propaganda pressure, according to the OPU.
Source: Ukrgate
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