U.S. warns Russia of serious consequences for stoking tensions in Ukraine
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken issued a warning to Russia to back off from aggression in Ukraine, saying “any renewed aggression can trigger serious consequences.” His remarks came amid the threat of Russian invasion in Ukraine with military buildup near the border.
He made the remarks at a joint press conference with Latvian Foreign Minister Edgars Rinkēvičs in Riga, where he is attending a meeting of NATO foreign ministers. The summit is aimed at addressing the Russian military buildup on the border with Ukraine. Blinken said the United States is “very concerned” about Russian troop movements along the border with Ukraine.
“It’s increasingly belligerent rhetoric, it’s recent buildup of forces,” Blinken said, adding that he would share more after consultations with NATO allies.
The Latvian foreign minister said the “NATO and the European Union should send a clear signal and should clearly indicate to which point the threats to the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine will become our political and military concern, and we will respond appropriately.”
In recent years, Russian aggression toward Ukraine has been at the heart of tensions between Moscow and the West and top agenda of the talks between the. U.S. and the European Union.
Russian military build-up is ‘unprovoked and unexplained’: NATO
Meanwhile, NATO foreign ministers have called on Russia to de-escalate and reduce tensions and expressed solidarity with Ukraine. NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said that the buildup of Russian troops and military equipment near the Ukrainian border “is unprovoked and unexplained.”
“We see Russian military build-up, we see heavy armour, we see drones, and combat-ready troops,” said Stoltenberg at the NATO foreign ministers’ summit in Riga, Latvia, on November 30. He stressed that although Ukraine is “a highly valued partner” but not a NATO ally and does not fall under Article 5 that guarantees collective defense.
