LAST UPDATE: 11.48
Russia on Wednesday accused Ukraine of deploying about half of its armed forces, 125,000 troops, in the Donbass region on the front with pro-Russian separatist rebels who have controlled parts of the Ukrainian provinces of Donetsk and Luhansk since 2014.
The statement came from Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova, according to Reuters, but Kiev did not comment.
Moscow says it is particularly concerned about Ukraine’s intentions as tensions with Kiev escalate amid fears in the West that a new Russian military strike on Ukraine is imminent. Russia has rejected the allegations as a “cultivation of fear” against it.
According to Reuters, Zakharova also said that Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan’s proposal to take on the role of mediator between Moscow and Kiev did not concern the armed conflict in Donbas.
However, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said the proposal would be discussed by Presidents Putin and Erdogan in an upcoming telephone conversation on Friday.
Turkey, especially after the failed coup attempt in 2016, maintains close relations with Moscow, despite the different camps in which the two countries have found themselves in various international conflicts (Syria, Libya). At the same time, Ankara is providing equipment, mainly drones, to Ukraine in a move that has been criticized by Russia.
He is particularly interested in the Muslim minority of Tatars in Ukrainian Crimea, while he does not recognize (like the West) the annexation of this peninsula by Russia in 2014.
Tsavousoglou against sanctions against Russia
“Turkey is in contact with both Ukraine and Russia to reduce tensions between them,” said Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt ÇavuÅŸoλουlu, adding that imposing sanctions on Moscow would not solve the problem.
On Thursday, the Turkish Foreign Minister is expected to hold talks with his Russian and Ukrainian counterparts.
“We are in contact with both sides and we call on both to remain calm and de-escalate the tension,” Tsavousoglu said, according to the Turkish state news agency Anadolu and Reuters.
“Sanctions are not going to help. Turkey believes in a balance between dialogue and deterrence. No one can help Ukraine or any other country with sanctions alone,” he said.
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Source From: Capital
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