RTTue, 06 Apr 2021 09:28 UTC
© Sputnik/Sergey AverinVillage of Veseloe, Donetsk region
Amid fears of worsening clashes in eastern Ukraine, Russian and American diplomats have held unscheduled bilateral talks in an effort to forestall an all-out conflict, which Moscow has warned could spell disaster for the region.
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov told reporters on Tuesday that
"we have had contact with the US administration on the situation in the Donbass, and we have exhaustively explained to their side what is happening. Washington should be concerned about the consequences of this coordinated policy."
He added that Western rhetoric over Ukraine is striking an increasingly belligerent tone.
The day before, US State Department spokesman Ned Price warned of credible reports of Russian troop movements on the border with Ukraine, which some in Kiev have claimed to be a precursor to an invasion. He added that
Washington is "open to engagement with Moscow" to prevent a crisis and issued a "call on Russia to refrain from escalatory actions."
The Kremlin has denied that troop movements in western Russia are a preparation for war, with press secretary Dmitry Peskov saying that
the country's army "moves around Russia in whatever direction it considers necessary to ensure the security of our country." He added that the
deployments are within the context of "increased activity of the armed forces of NATO countries, other associations, individual countries."
Over the weekend, Ukraine's representative in talks over the future of Donbass said that
the US-led military bloc was preparing itself for a potential conflict with Russia. "A large-scale NATO exercise has begun, called DefenderEurope 2021," Aleksey Arestovich said, adding that
"this basically translates to Defend Europe." The envoy said that the
drills will focus on areas "from the waters of the Baltic to the Black Sea, to put it bluntly,
armed confrontation with Russia."As part of the wargames, Europe is expected to see the largest deployment of US forces since the start of the 21st century.
Around 20,000 American troops will participate, along with a 17,000-strong contingent from NATO member states and non-members like Ukraine.The bloc says the drills "provide an opportunity to promote the benefits of NATO's partnerships to increased security and stability." An official statement for last year's smaller-scale initiative said it would bolster
"Alliance-wide readiness and capability to deploy and respond decisively against any adversary in a multinational, multi-domain, high-intensity conflict... executing large-scale ground combat operations against a near-peer adversary in Europe."
Comment: Reports indicate this rapid buildup of aggression could spiral out of control sooner rather than later. The
refusal to hold talks in Minsk suggests Ukraine's bias of venue, at this point, is a tantrum too far:
The Ukrainian delegation to peace talks on settling the conflict in Donbass will refuse to attend any discussions if they continue to be held in Minsk. Kiev accused Belarus of "hostile rhetoric" and being "influenced" by Russia.
The Trilateral Contact Group is made up of Ukraine, Russia and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), and in September 2014, representatives from all three parties signed the Minsk Protocol, an agreement to end the Donbass war. Now, with worries that fighting may flare up again, there have been proposals to head back to the Belarusian capital for further talks.
According to Kiev's deputy prime minister, Alexey Reznikov, the Ukrainian side will refuse to attend.
"We said that we will not take part in the meetings of the Trilateral Contact Group if the Covid-19 quarantine suddenly ends and it is proposed to continue consultations in Minsk. To hold talks in real life, we will have to look for another country, another city."
This is because Belarus is "under the influence" of the Kremlin, and Kiev has lost confidence in its northern neighbor, he said. As things stand, due to Covid-19, discussions between the three parties take place via videoconference. Before the pandemic, they met face-to-face in the Belarusian capital.
Reznikov's assertion that Kiev will no longer go to Minsk follows attempts by other Ukrainian officials to move discussions to another country. Last summer, Ukraine's former president Leonid Kravchuk, who now serves on the Donbass negotiation team, revealed that he tried to move talks from Minsk to Sweden.
In response, the Russian Foreign Ministry then noted that "the key to success in settling the Ukrainian conflict is not in the change of negotiating venues or formats," but simply the political will of all parties.
The conflict is taking place in the Donetsk and Lugansk regions of Ukraine, collectively known as Donbass, where a civil war has raged for almost seven years. Separatists now control large swathes of land and have declared themselves to be independent of Kiev. While Russia does not recognize these breakaway states, Ukraine accuses the Kremlin of supporting them.
Has Donbass become another 'forever war'?
See also:
Comment: Reports indicate this rapid buildup of aggression could spiral out of control sooner rather than later. The refusal to hold talks in Minsk suggests Ukraine's bias of venue, at this point, is a tantrum too far: Has Donbass become another 'forever war'?
See also: