Ukraine's Defence Minister Oleksiy Reznikov has commented on the latest escalation of tensions in eastern Ukraine, saying that it is inappropriate to talk about a Russian invasion in the coming days.
"Today, as of this hour, Russia has not formed yet a strike force in any city where it surrounded Ukraine. Therefore, it is inappropriate, in my opinion, to talk about the attack tomorrow or the day after tomorrow. But this does not mean that the risks are low, and it does not mean that there is no threat. I want to remind our partners that the threat has existed since 2013," Reznikov told Ukraine's 1+1 broadcaster.
He added that Ukraine's army is ready to meet Russian troops and resist any attack.
His statement comes amid growing tensions on the contact line in Ukraine's breakaway republics of Donetsk and Lugansk (DPR and LPR). Local militia have been registering multiple ceasefire violations in the area, blaming Kiev's forces for attacking the republics' territory with heavy artillery, banned under the Minsk Accords.
Russian Ambassador to the US, Anatoly Antonov, gave an interview to CBS on Sunday, stressing that Russian troops are stationed on Russia's sovereign territory and are not "threatening anyone." "We are not trying to seize any territory of another country. I would like to confirm that Donetsk and Lugansk are part of Ukraine," he emphasised.
Speculation in the Western media about Russia allegedly plotting to invade Ukraine continues despite the fact some Russian troops have returned to their permanent deployment bases after drills. With the West ramping up its "Russian aggression" rhetoric for the past couple of months, Moscow has repeatedly refuted all allegations about its "invasion" of Ukraine, stressing that this anti-Russian hysteria has been deliberately promoted by the West in order to cover up Kiev's sabotage of the Minsk Agreements on Donbass.