Reports of massive Russian troop movements in Crimea and eastern Ukraine have raised fears of another war between Moscow and Kiev. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has warned that Russia’s military build-up on Ukraine’s border “threatens the entire democratic order” and that Ukraine wants to become a member of NATO.
Zelenskiy reiterated his desire to join NATO in an exclusive interview with the British newspaper The Telegraph on Friday (16), hours before heading to Paris for video talks with French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
“Long-term security and peace can be guaranteed only if Ukraine joins NATO,” Zelensky said, adding that “this is a conflict that will determine whether a truly democratic order can be maintained, whether the principle of inviolability of borders can work and whether countries have the freedom to choose their own destiny “.
Zelenski backed U.S. President Joe Biden’s call for a bilateral summit with Putin to defuse the crisis, warning that it was a “test for Europe and the West as a whole.
Zelensky said at least 40,000 Russian troops are now deployed in Crimea and another 40,000 in Russia’s border region with Ukraine. Combined with some 30,000 Russian and separatist troops already stationed in the breakaway regions of Donetsk and Luhansk, the military deployment reaches the largest Russian military presence in the region since the height of the war.
Experts disagree on whether Russia’s show of force is part of a genuine invasion plan or simply an act of intimidation. Zelensky said he does not rule out either scenario and is “absolutely sober” in his assessment of the situation.
Zelenski said he supports peace talks, but at the same time he warned: “We already have a crisis situation. That’s why we must work together to achieve results, and everyone must be clear that aggressive actions or threats will never benefit anyone.”
“Britain has expressed this position very strongly,” Zelensky said, adding that British Prime Minister Boris Johnson expressed his solidarity and full support for Ukraine in the conversation.
On Thursday, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba spoke after talks with his Estonian, Latvian and Lithuanian counterparts, asking the Baltic states to reach out to other EU and NATO members for “practical assistance” to Kiev.
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