Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Reuters
Reuters
Politics

Russia is not a threat, says Kremlin after media report about possible Ukraine attack

FILE PHOTO: Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov sits in front of an electronic screen during Russian President Vladimir Putin's annual end-of-year news conference, held online in a video conference mode, in Moscow, Russia December 17, 2020. REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov/File Photo

The Kremlin on Friday dismissed a media report which suggested the U.S. was worried that Moscow would launch an attack on Ukraine, saying Russia did not pose a threat to anyone.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov was responding to a U.S. media report which said that Washington had raised concerns about the potential attack with its European Union allies.

The report by Bloomberg cited potentially suspicious troop movements inside Russia as being one of the reasons for U.S. concern.

"We have repeatedly said that the movement of our armed forces on our territory should not be a cause for concern," Peskov told reporters on a conference call.

He said the media report pointlessly fuelled East-West tensions. "Russia is not a threat to anyone," he said.

Moscow was the one who had observed an increase in what he called provocative behaviour from its opponents, he said, including a spike in NATO activity in the Black Sea and flights by Western spy planes, that could not leave it indifferent.

"If necessary, we take measures to ensure our security if our opponents take action along our borders," said Peskov.

(Reporting by Dmitry Antonov; Writing by Gabrielle Tétrault-Farber; Editing by Andrew Osborn)

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.