Kremlin denies plans to invade Ukraine, alleges NATO threats

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MOSCOW – The Kremlin connected Friday rebuffed allegations that a buildup of its troops adjacent Ukraine reflects Moscow's assertive intentions, saying that Russia needs to guarantee its information successful effect to alleged NATO threats.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov dismissed Western media reports that Moscow has intentions to invade Ukraine arsenic a “hollow and unfounded effort to incite tensions.”

“Russia doesn't endanger anyone,” Peskov said during a league telephone with reporters. “The question of troops connected our territory shouldn't beryllium a origin for anyone's concern.”

Ukraine complained past week that Russia has kept tens of thousands of troops not acold from the 2 countries' borders aft conducting warfare games successful an effort to exert further unit connected its ex-Soviet neighbor. Russia annexed Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula successful 2014 and has supported a separatist insurgency that broke retired that twelvemonth successful eastbound Ukraine.

The Ukrainian Defense Ministry claimed that astir 90,000 Russian troops are stationed not acold from the borderline and successful rebel-controlled areas successful Ukraine’s east. It said units of the Russian 41st service person remained successful Yelnya, a municipality astir 260 kilometers (about 160 miles) northbound of the Ukrainian border.

The commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian equipped forces, Lt. Gen. Valeriy Zaluzhny, said Friday that Russia has astir 2,100 subject unit successful the rebel-controlled areas, noting that Russian subject officers clasp each commanding positions successful the separatist forces.

Russia has formed its value down the separatist insurgency successful Ukraine’s eastbound that has near much than 14,000 dead. But Moscow has repeatedly denied immoderate beingness of its troops successful eastbound Ukraine.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken assured the Ukrainian overseas minister, Dmytro Kuleba, successful Washington this week that the U.S. committedness to Ukraine’s information and territorial integrity is “ironclad.”

On Friday, Blinken pointed astatine Russia’s erstwhile assertive actions against Ukraine. “From what they’ve done the past, we person existent concerns astir what we’re seeing successful the present,” helium said.

“We don’t cognize Russia’s intentions,” Blinken told reporters successful Washington. “But we bash cognize that we’ve seen successful the past: Russia wide forces connected Ukraine’s borders, assertion immoderate benignant of provocation by Ukraine, and past invade. That’s what they did successful 2014.”

Blinken said the U.S. was “in precise adjacent consultation with European allies and partners connected this.”

Asked Thursday if Russia planned to invade Ukraine, Russia’s lawman U.N. ambassador, Dmitry Polyansky, replied that it “never planned, ne'er did, and (is) ne'er going to bash it unless we’re provoked by Ukraine, oregon by idiosyncratic else.” He cited what helium called galore threats from Ukraine and allegedly provocative actions by U.S. warships successful the Black Sea.

Peskov likewise emphasized Friday that Russia needs to support its information amid what helium described arsenic “increasing provocations” adjacent its borders. He pointed astatine the U.S. naval deployment to the Black Sea and progressively predominant U.S. and NATO quality flights.

“We instrumentality measures to guarantee our information erstwhile our opponents instrumentality defiant enactment adjacent our borders,” Peskov said. "We can't enactment indifferent to that; we indispensable beryllium connected our guard.”

The Russian Defense Ministry described the deployment of the U.S. warships USS Mount Whitney and USS Porter, which sailed into the Black Sea past week, arsenic a “threat to determination information and strategical stability.”

“The existent extremity down the U.S. activities successful the Black Sea portion is exploring the theatre of operations successful lawsuit of Kyiv's attempts to settee the struggle successful the southeast by force,” the ministry said successful a statement.

The reported Russian subject buildup adjacent Ukraine besides raised interest successful the European Union.

After discussing the contented with U.S. President Joe Biden earlier this week, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said EU officials “fully enactment the territorial integrity of Ukraine.”

European Commission spokesperson Peter Stano told reporters Friday that the bloc is discussing the concern with partners, including the U.S. and United Kingdom, adding that “the accusation we gathered truthful acold is alternatively worrying.”

French overseas and defence ministers expressed their concerns astir the concern successful Ukraine during Friday talks with their Russian counterparts successful Paris.

Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian and Defense Minister Florence Parly “clearly warned of the superior consequences of immoderate further imaginable harm to the territorial integrity of Ukraine,” the French Foreign Ministry said successful a connection aft the meeting.

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AP Diplomatic Writer Matthew Lee successful Washington, Angela Charlton successful Paris, Yuras Karmanau successful Kyiv, Ukraine and Lorne Cook successful Brussels contributed to this report.

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