On Wednesday, Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken warned that while Russia's objectives behind its recent military buildup along Ukraine's eastern border were unknown, Moscow would be making a "serious mistake" if it continued to attack its troubled neighbor.
He spoke with his Ukrainian colleague amid rumors of increased Russian military deployments along the border, which have raised concerns in Kyiv and Washington following a large concentration of Russian troops in the area this spring.
Russia troop stationed in Ukraine border
According to Ukraine's Defense Ministry, roughly 90,000 Russian troops are stationed near its border. It was unclear how many of them were newly deployed; US officials indicated in May that even after Moscow declared a partial retreat, up to 80,000 Russian troops remained posted in the area, The NY Times reported.
Officials in the Biden administration have been attempting to defuse a potential new crisis. William J. Burns, the director of the Central Intelligence Agency, visited Moscow this week for an unusual meeting with Kremlin leaders.
The increased tensions come after a time of relative quiet in US-Russia ties, during which Biden officials attempted to break out from a growing cycle of conflict with the Kremlin by identifying areas of collaboration with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Blinken indicated that Russia would try to retaliate against regions of Ukraine, a former Soviet country whose political leadership has shifted toward the West in recent years, angering Putin. Russian military occupied the Crimean Peninsula and sponsored a pro-Russian separatist war in eastern Ukraine, which continues today, after a mainly pro-Western popular movement deposed the Ukrainian government in early 2014.
The US is "concerned" by reports of unusual Russian military action, according to Blinken, and the prospect that Russia is "attempting to rehash" its 2014 invasion of Ukraine.
Blinken said US is concerned with Russia's military activities
According to four people informed on the conversation, Russia's powerful security chief did not deny that Moscow was transferring soldiers or ease US fears about Russia's intentions during a meeting with CIA director Bill Burns a week ago.
Blinken, speaking at the State Department with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba, said the US is "concerned" about reports of unusual Russian military activities and is "monitoring very closely" the Russian activity, CNN reported.
A pair of Russian long-range bombers flew over Belarus on Wednesday and "checked the Union State's air defenses," according to Russian state media, just weeks after a major joint military exercise between Belarus and Russia, drills that were followed by an announcement from Moscow that the two sides plan to "contribute to strengthening the Union State's military security."
Per Washington Examiner, Blinken stated that the US is prepared to deliver "lethal defense weaponry to guard against any Russian aggression," but added that the US has little patience for Russian claims of concern over NATO or Ukrainian military activities.
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