Tensions flare as US warns Russia not to attack Ukraine
- US called on Russia to ‘de-escalate’ and reverse the recent troop build-up along the border with Ukraine, warning of ‘serious consequences’
- US Secretary of State Antony Blinken met Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov for talks
Top US diplomat Antony Blinken on Thursday warned Russia against invading Ukraine, as Moscow told Kyiv that any attempt to retake the Crimean peninsula amounted to a “direct threat” to Russia.
Western powers have been sounding the alarm in recent weeks about Russia massing troops along the border with Ukraine, further stoking tensions in an area where a long-running conflict has already left 13,000 dead.
Moscow, which is accused of backing the separatists fighting Kyiv, has denied preparing an attack and accuses Nato of raising the temperature.
“We have deep concerns about Russia’s plans for renewed aggression against Ukraine,” Blinken told Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in talks on Thursday near Stockholm, warning of “serious consequences” if Russia “decides to pursue confrontation”.
Striking a conciliatory note, Blinken said the US was ready to “facilitate” the “full implementation” of the Minsk peace accords.
The Minsk deal was reached after Russia’s 2014 annexation of Crimea and aimed at resolving the conflict with pro-Russia separatists in eastern Ukraine but never enforced.