Amid escalating tensions between Russia and Ukraine, India was on Monday given an update on the developments by Ukraine, according to diplomatic sources.
And even as French President Emmanuel Macron’s office announced that U.S. President Joe Biden and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin accepted in “principle” to meet on the condition that “Russia does not invade Ukraine”, tensions mounted, with separatists in the regions of Donetsk and Luhansk accusing the Ukraine Army of “allegedly preparing for an armed offensive”, which Kiev said was “completely fake, a tool for destabilisation and are not true.”
In a statement, Ukraine said, “In fact, all these allegations have been unsubstantiated and are either unfounded or provocative by their nature.” It alleged that the Russian Federation and the leaders of the “so-called Donetsk and Luhansk People Republics” were interested in escalating the conflict. To attain their goals, the separatist groups were capable of “staging any provocations in order to unreasonably accuse Ukraine of aggravating the situation once again.”
During the day, the Russian Security Council held a meeting to discuss the developments.
‘Disinformation campaign’
Ukraine said Russia was “waging an aggressive disinformation campaign to create a pretext for military escalation and destabilization in Ukraine.” Kiev termed it as yet another round of Russia’s “hybrid war” against Ukraine.
Russia, through “illegal armed factions” under its control, was trying to get the Ukrainian armed forces firing back in order to “further accuse” the Ukrainian military of shelling civilians, it said, adding, “The militants are pounding Ukraine government forces controlled area from densely populated settlements with artillery systems set close to residential buildings.”
At the Munich security conference last week, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said there were now 1,50,000 Russian troops, equipment and heavy weapons on the borders, and the “architecture of the world security is fragile and needs to be updated.” He also sought clarity on its membership of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and “clear and comprehensive timeframes” for joining the alliance.
At the Munich security conference last week, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said there were now 1,50,000 Russian troops, equipment and heavy weapons on the borders, and the “architecture of the world security is fragile and needs to be updated.” He also sought clarity on its membership of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and “clear and comprehensive timeframes” for joining the alliance.
