A top U.S. general called his counterparts in Russia and Ukraine on March 31 amid reports of a buildup of Russian troops along Ukraine’s border and in Crimea, the Pentagon confirmed on March 31.
Defense Department spokesman John Kirby confirmed that Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Mark Milley called top military leaders in Russia and Ukraine and said the Pentagon is aware of Ukrainian military reports concerning Russian troop movements near Ukraine’s borders.
“Russia’s destabilizing actions undermine the de-escalation intentions that had been achieved through an OSCE-brokered agreement back in July of last year,” Kirby told a briefing, referring to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe and a cease-fire it brokered with Ukraine and Russia.
“We are discussing our concerns about this increase in tensions and cease-fire violations and regional tensions with NATO allies,” Kirby said.
Kirby referred questions about the specifics of Milley’s call to his office but said: “I suspect that the outreach by the chairman today…with his Russian and Ukrainian counterparts certainly covered [the Pentagon’s] concerns.”
Milley spoke with General Valery Gerasimov, the Russian Armed Forces chief of staff, and General Ruslan Khomchak, chief of the general staff of the Armed Forces, according to French news agency AFP, quoting an unidentified U.S. official. Russia’s Ministry of Defense confirmed the call, AFP said.
H Turner
The Chief of Staff of Ukraine announced that the country's armed forces will launch a sweeping attack to destroy the separatist rebels in Donbass.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Thursday that any attempts to start a new military conflict in Ukraine's war-torn east could end up destroying Ukraine, the TASS news agency reported.
The comments come amid tensions after Ukraine's commander-in-chief this week accused Moscow of building up forces near their shared border and said that pro-Russian separatists were systematically violating a ceasefire.
The Kremlin said earlier on Thursday that recent Russian troop and military hardware movements near Russia's borders with Ukraine were aimed at ensuring Moscow's own security and were not a threat to anyone.
Of course Russia said that mindful of a Decree issued by the Ukrainian legislature yesterday, which declared that the conflict in eastern Ukraine is "an international war" wherein the "participants are Ukraine and Russia."
When the Ukrainian legislature passed that decree, Russia recoiled in disbelief, saying it amounted to a declaration of war upon Russia!
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