The United States warned Russia on Wednesday (November 10) not to commit another “serious mistake” on the Ukraine issue as it seeks to clarify the movement of troops near the border.
Secretary of State Anthony Brinken welcomed the Ukrainian Foreign Minister’s visit to Washington, stating that the United States is “concerned about reports of unusual Russian activities near Ukraine.”
“We don’t know Moscow’s intentions, but we know its script,” Brinken said at a joint press conference.
He said: “We are worried that Russia may have made serious mistakes and tried to repeat the mistakes of 2014, when it assembled troops along the border and entered Ukraine’s sovereign territory and falsely claimed that it was provoked.”
“Our commitment to Ukraine’s sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity is unwavering, and the international community will see through any efforts by Russia to resort to its previous strategies,” Brinken said.
Welcome to the opportunity to meet the Ukrainian Foreign Minister @DmytroKuleba Today, and launch our forward-looking strategic charter to promote security, prosperity and the rule of law. We affirm that we are committed to strengthening our strategic partnership with Ukraine.
— Secretary of State Anthony Blinken (@SecBlinken) November 10, 2021
Since Russia occupied the Crimea in 2014, Ukraine has been locked in a deadly war with pro-Moscow separatists in its mainly Russian-speaking eastern region.
After large-scale protests led to the president’s resignation, Russia took action and the president suspended efforts to move closer to the European Union.
In March, Russia also assembled 100,000 soldiers on the Ukrainian border. It withdrew, but both Ukraine and the United States stated at the time that the withdrawal was limited.
Seek clarity
Foreign Minister Dmitro Kuleba stated that Ukraine hopes to cooperate with the United States to strengthen its defenses and “does not intend to attack anyone.”
Kuleba said: “The best way to stop an aggressive Russia is to show the Kremlin that Ukraine is powerful and that it has strong allies and will not allow it to fend for itself in the face of Moscow’s growing aggressiveness.”
“Russian aggression against Ukraine will end on the day when Ukraine’s status as a part of the West is institutionalized and without a doubt,” he said.
Nowadays, @SecBlinken I met in Washington to revitalize the Strategic Partnership Committee and sign its new charter. We are laying a solid foundation for our common future, and I am optimistic about it. As we defend our sovereignty and territorial integrity, the United States is on the side of Ukraine. pic.twitter.com/S1Xqh9MZJ6
-Dmytro Kuleba (myDmytroKuleba) November 10, 2021
Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said that the Russian operation was “unusual in scale and scope.”
“We urge Russia to clarify their intentions and abide by their Minsk agreement,” he said, referring to an agreement to try to stop the internal fighting in Ukraine.
Last week, the Director of the Central Intelligence Agency William Burns visited Moscow on a rare occasion and met with President Vladimir Putin.
CNN reported that President Joe Biden deployed Burns, the former US ambassador to Moscow, to directly raise the issue of Russian troop surges to the Kremlin.
