Ukraine Says Could Be Provoked as Russia Warns of War
KYIV (Dispatches) -- Ukraine’s defense minister said on Saturday his country could be provoked by aggravation of the situation in the conflict area of eastern Donbass region.
The minister, Andrii Taran, said Russian accusations about the rights of Russian-speakers being violated could be the reason for the resumption of armed aggression against Ukraine.
Senior Kremlin official Dmitry Kozak last week said Russia would be forced to defend its citizens in eastern Ukraine depending on the scale of the military conflict there.
On Friday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov warned of a full-scale war in eastern Ukraine. In a news briefing, Peskov expressed Russia’s determination to prevent Kiev from using force to try to retake the separatist-controlled region of Donbass.
Peskov told reporters that Moscow had the right to move its forces across the war-hit territory at its discretion and was simply taking precautions given the "dangerous, explosive region at its borders” with eastern Ukraine.
The Kremlin spokesman warned that the situation on the contact line was extremely unstable and said, "The dynamics…create the danger of a resumption of full-scale hostilities.”
Describing the border region as a "powder keg,” Peskov defended the Russian military buildup in the flashpoint area and said Russia "will not stand aside” if it believes hostilities could lead to "mass civilian casualties.”
Media reports showed that Russian tanks, rocket artillery, and short-range ballistic missiles have been transported to just 150 miles from Ukraine, where Moscow has established a large new military base.
Dmitry Kozak, a Russian presidential aide who serves as the country’s top negotiator with Kiev, earlier warned Ukraine against using force to retake control of Donbass.
Such a move would mark "the beginning of an end for Ukraine,” he said, adding that Russia would act to protect its citizens.
The United States, France and Germany have reaffirmed their support for Kiev in its confrontation with Moscow.
Kyiv and Moscow have traded blame in recent weeks for a spike in violence in the Russian-speaking region, where Ukrainian troops and pro-Russian forces have fought a conflict that has killed 14,000 people since 2014 by Ukraine’s estimate.
The armed confrontations began when a wave of protests in Ukraine overthrew a democratically-elected pro-Russia government and replaced it with a pro-West administration. The majority in those areas refused to endorse the new administration.
The minister, Andrii Taran, said Russian accusations about the rights of Russian-speakers being violated could be the reason for the resumption of armed aggression against Ukraine.
Senior Kremlin official Dmitry Kozak last week said Russia would be forced to defend its citizens in eastern Ukraine depending on the scale of the military conflict there.
On Friday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov warned of a full-scale war in eastern Ukraine. In a news briefing, Peskov expressed Russia’s determination to prevent Kiev from using force to try to retake the separatist-controlled region of Donbass.
Peskov told reporters that Moscow had the right to move its forces across the war-hit territory at its discretion and was simply taking precautions given the "dangerous, explosive region at its borders” with eastern Ukraine.
The Kremlin spokesman warned that the situation on the contact line was extremely unstable and said, "The dynamics…create the danger of a resumption of full-scale hostilities.”
Describing the border region as a "powder keg,” Peskov defended the Russian military buildup in the flashpoint area and said Russia "will not stand aside” if it believes hostilities could lead to "mass civilian casualties.”
Media reports showed that Russian tanks, rocket artillery, and short-range ballistic missiles have been transported to just 150 miles from Ukraine, where Moscow has established a large new military base.
Dmitry Kozak, a Russian presidential aide who serves as the country’s top negotiator with Kiev, earlier warned Ukraine against using force to retake control of Donbass.
Such a move would mark "the beginning of an end for Ukraine,” he said, adding that Russia would act to protect its citizens.
The United States, France and Germany have reaffirmed their support for Kiev in its confrontation with Moscow.
Kyiv and Moscow have traded blame in recent weeks for a spike in violence in the Russian-speaking region, where Ukrainian troops and pro-Russian forces have fought a conflict that has killed 14,000 people since 2014 by Ukraine’s estimate.
The armed confrontations began when a wave of protests in Ukraine overthrew a democratically-elected pro-Russia government and replaced it with a pro-West administration. The majority in those areas refused to endorse the new administration.