Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday informed British Prime Minister Boris Johnson that Moscow will insist on Western ensures precluding NATO’s growth to Ukraine.
A current Russian troop buildup close to Ukraine has drawn Ukrainian and Western fears of an invasion, and U.S. President Joe Biden final week warned Putin of “extreme penalties” if Moscow assaults its neighbor.
Putin has denied plans of launching an assault, however prodded Western leaders to offer a authorized pledge that NATO wouldn’t increase to Ukraine.
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In Monday’s name with Johnson, Putin reaffirmed Moscow’s concern concerning the “improvement of Ukraine’s territory” by NATO’s members, saying that it “poses a direct risk to Russia’s safety.”
Russia has responded to the ouster of Ukraine’s Moscow-friendly president by annexing the Ukrainian Crimean Peninsula in 2014 and throwing its help behind a separatist insurgency within the nation’s east. Greater than seven years of preventing has killed over 14,000 individuals and devastated Ukraine’s industrial heartland known as Donbas.
Moscow has bristled at NATO’s joint drills with Ukrainian forces and warned that the alliance’s growth to Ukraine would characterize a “pink line” for Russia.
In Monday’s name with Johnson, Putin emphasised the necessity to “instantly start negotiations to work out clear worldwide authorized agreements that will exclude any additional NATO’s growth eastward and the deployment of weapons threatening Russia in neighbouring international locations, primarily in Ukraine.”
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The Russian chief mentioned that Russia will quickly submit a draft doc outlining the calls for, in response to the Kremlin.
Johnson adopted Biden and different Western leaders in warning Moscow in opposition to attacking its neighbour.
Johnson’s workplace mentioned he “expressed the UK’s deep concern over the build-up of Russian forces on Ukraine’s border, and reiterated the significance of working by means of diplomatic channels to de-escalate tensions and establish sturdy options.”
It famous that the British prime minister “emphasised the UK’s dedication to Ukraine’s territorial integrity and sovereignty, and warned that any destabilizing motion could be a strategic mistake that will have important penalties.”
The readout added that Johnson “acknowledged the significance of dialogue on worldwide and regional safety.”
© 2021 The Canadian Press
