NATO chief warns Russia of 'costs' if it moves on Ukraine

BRUSSELS – NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg warned Russia Friday that immoderate effort to invade Ukraine would person costs, arsenic interest mounts astir a Russian subject buildup adjacent its erstwhile Soviet neighbor’s borders.

Ukraine says Moscow kept astir 90,000 troops adjacent their communal borderline pursuing monolithic warfare games successful occidental Russia earlier this year. The Ukrainian Defense Ministry said units of the Russian 41st service stay adjacent Yelnya, astir 260 kilometers (160 miles) northbound of the border.

Moscow denies that it’s readying immoderate penetration and refuses to supply details astir unit movements connected its ain territory.

“If Russia uses unit against Ukraine that volition person costs, that would person consequences,” Stoltenberg said, up of a gathering of the 30-nation subject organization’s overseas ministers successful Latvia Nov. 30-Dec. 1, wherever Russia’s activities volition beryllium precocious connected the agenda. He did not accidental what those costs would be.

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“This is the 2nd clip this twelvemonth that Russia has amassed a ample and antithetic attraction of forces successful the region,” Stoltenberg told reporters. He said it includes tanks, artillery, armored units, drones, and physics warfare systems, arsenic good arsenic combat-ready troops.

“This subject buildup is unprovoked and unexplained. It raises tensions and it risks miscalculations,” Stoltenberg said. He conceded that “there is nary certainty astir the intentions of Russia” but said that “this is simply a subject buildup by a state that has invaded Ukraine before.”

Russia annexed Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula successful 2014 aft the country’s Moscow-friendly president was driven from powerfulness by wide protests. Weeks later, Russia threw its value down a separatist insurgency that broke retired successful Ukraine’s east.

Ukraine and the West accused Russia of sending its troops and weapons to backmost the rebels. Moscow denied that, saying that Russians who joined the separatists were volunteers. More than 14,000 radical person died successful the warring that devastated Ukraine’s eastbound concern heartland known arsenic Donbas.

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A 2015 bid statement brokered by France and Germany helped extremity large-scale battles, but efforts to scope a governmental colony person failed and sporadic skirmishes person continued on the tense enactment of contact.

NATO would not beryllium capable to supply Ukraine with immoderate important subject enactment successful clip to marque a quality against Russian forces, truthful economical measures similar Western sanctions are much apt to beryllium utilized to inflict a fiscal outgo connected Moscow.

In Washington, the State Department’s apical authoritative for European and Eurasian affairs, Karen Donfried, told reporters that assessments of Russia’s subject buildup adjacent Ukraine volition beryllium connected the docket adjacent week erstwhile Secretary of State Antony Blinken visits Latvia, and past travels to Sweden for a gathering of the Organization for Security and Cooperation successful Europe. She gave nary denotation whether Blinken would suggest caller U.S. oregon allied actions.

“All options are connected the table,” Donfried said, “and there’s a toolkit that includes a full scope of options. What we’re doing present is monitoring the portion closely, consult with our allies and partners connected however bash we deter Russian action, and ideally that is what we privation to beryllium doing close now. We bash not privation to spot immoderate Russian subject incursion into Ukraine.”

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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy connected Friday alleged that his country’s quality work has uncovered plans for a Russia-backed coup d’etat successful Ukraine adjacent week, thing which the Russian authorities denied.

Asked astir the imaginable coup plot, Donfried said: “We are successful interaction with the Ukrainian authorities to sermon this further, and we’re moving to get further information.”

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Samuel Petrequin successful Brussels and AP National Security Writer Robert Burns successful Washington contributed to this report.

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