The U.S. Department of Defense today asked Russia to clarify its intentions as it continues to build up its forces along the southeastern border with Crimea, Ukraine.
U.S. Defense Department spokesman John Kirby said Russia has not yet announced whether it is conducting the same exercises as before, which makes Russia’s intentions unclear and raises tensions in the region.
Kirby told reporters at the briefing, “We call on the Russian government to make clear their intentions for deploying a large force along the border.”
He said, “It’s important … to reduce tensions along the border.”
Kirby added that all sides must abide by the 2014-2015 Minsk agreement on the Ukraine crisis “so that tensions can be cooled.”
Kirby would not say how much the U.S. knows about the details of Russia’s military deployment. A number of social media videos show large numbers of Russian military vehicles and armored vehicles being driven to or brought into the area, but they have not been confirmed.
Kirby said the biggest concern for the U.S. is Russia’s increased military presence along Ukraine’s southeastern border with Crimea. Crimea was once Ukrainian territory and was annexed by Russia in 2014.
He said, “We continue to see Russian forces deployed along the Ukrainian border, particularly in Crimea, so there’s more troop build-up to the southeast, and we’re monitoring the situation very closely.”
State Department spokesman Ned Price said only yesterday that Washington was very concerned about Russia’s “elevated offensive against eastern Ukraine.
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