Ukraine says it could be provoked by Russian 'aggression' in conflict
area
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 [April 10, 2021]
KYIV (Reuters) - Ukraine's defence
minister said on Saturday his country could be provoked by Russian
aggravation of the situation in the conflict area of Ukraine's 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.
"At the same time, it should be noted that the intensification of the
armed aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine is possible
only if an appropriate political decision is made at the highest level
in the Kremlin," he said in a statement.
Kyiv has raised the alarm over a buildup of Russian forces near the
border between Ukraine and Russia, and over a rise in violence along the
line of contact separating Ukrainian troops and Russia-backed
separatists in Donbass.
The Russian military movements have fuelled concerns that Moscow is
preparing to send forces into Ukraine. The Kremlin denies its troops are
a threat, but says they will remain as long as it sees fit.
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Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy visits positions of armed
forces near the frontline with Russian-backed separatists during his
working trip in Donbass region, Ukraine April 8, 2021. Ukrainian
Presidential Press Service/Handout via REUTERS
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.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and his French and German
counterparts on Friday called on Russia to halt a troop buildup and
reaffirmed their support for Kyiv in its confrontation with Moscow.
(Reporting by Pavel Polityuk, Editing by William Maclean)
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