Lavrov Tells Blinken Propaganda About 'Russian Aggression' Against Ukraine Has Provocative Purposes
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and his US counterpart Antony Blinken held telephone talks Saturday to discuss tensions over Ukraine. Ahead of the talks, Blinken claimed that a Russian "invasion" of its neighbour could start "at any time," and accused Moscow of "escalation." Russia has forcefully dismissed having any plans to invade anyone.
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"The minister emphasised that the propaganda campaign launched by the United States and its allies about 'Russian aggression' against Ukraine has provocative goals, encouraging the authorities in Kiev to sabotage the Minsk Agreements and pernicious attempts to resolve the 'Donbass problems' by force," the ministry said.
Lavrov was also said to have commented on the decision by NATO and Washington to reject the Russian security guarantee proposals presented in December aimed at dramatically easing tensions and improving the security situation in Europe.
"As the head of the Russian Foreign Ministry noted, the reaction by Washington and Brussels to the draft Russian-US treaty and the draft agreement with NATO on security guarantees which we submitted ignores provisions which the Russian side considers to be key, first and foremost on the non-expansion of the alliance and the non-deployment of strike weapons near Russia's border," the statement added.
"It was emphasized that these issue would take center stage in our assessment of the documents received from the US and NATO, which will be brought to the attention of our colleagues," the ministry stressed.
Lavrov was also said to have told his counterpart that the Russian side considers actions which undermine indelible security in the Euro-Atlantic region to be unacceptable.
State Department spokesman Ned Price issued a statement later Saturday outlining the US account of the conversation between Lavrov and Blinken, saying the two men discussed "acute and shared concerns that Russia may be considering launching further military aggression against Ukraine in the coming days."
"The Secretary made clear that a diplomatic path to resolving the crisis remained open, but would require Moscow to deescalate and engage in good-faith discussions. He reiterated that should Moscow pursue the path of aggression and further invade Ukraine, it would result in a resolute, massive, and united Transatlantic response," Price said.
Lavrov and Blinken spoke by phone on Saturday at the request of the US side. Ahead of the conversation, Blinken repeated US talking points about Russia's alleged aggressive designs on Ukraine, and claims made by US officials for months on end now that Russia may invade "at any time". The talks are expected to be followed up by a telephone conversation between Presidents Putin and Biden later in the day.
Moscow has consistently dismissed increasingly shrill claims by Western officials and media that it is preparing to "invade" Ukraine, blasting the US and its allies and accusing them of artificially ratcheting up tensions to justify a beefing up on NATO's footprint on Russia's doorstep.
Russia's suspicions appear to have been justified, with the Pentagon announcing this month that it would redeploy 1,000 troops from Germany to Romania, send 2,000 troops more from the US mainland to Germany and Poland, and set up a rapid reaction force consisting of another 8,500 troops in the US ready to fly out to Europe at a moment's notice. On Saturday, the US confirmed that it would send 3,000 additional troops to Poland.
The US and its allies have also used the tensions to send billions of dollars' worth of military hardware to Kiev, and to deploy small numbers of trainers and mercenaries in the country, with the latter spotted openly operating near the conflict zone in eastern Ukraine.
