On Monday, the European Union (EU) and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) warned Russia over its increased military build-up in and around Ukraine amid the migration crisis at the Poland-Belarus border.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba sounded the alarm over an increased Russian military presence in Crimea and some parts of eastern Ukraine, including Donetsk and Luhansk, at a meeting between the foreign ministers of the EU’s Eastern Partnership countries and top diplomats from Brussels. Armenia, Moldova, Azerbaijan, and Georgia are also a part of the EU’s Eastern Partnership; Belarus abandoned the partnership in June of this year to retaliate against the sanctions imposed by the bloc over human rights abuse and electoral fraud.
On Monday, Kuleba also met with NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, who reaffirmed the increased presence of Russian troops on Ukraine’s border in recent weeks. Speaking at a press conference alongside Kuleba in Brussels, Stoltenberg said, “We see an unusual concentration of troops, and we know that Russia has been willing to use these types of military capabilities before to conduct aggressive actions against Ukraine.” He added, “The fact that we see this military buildup also reduces any warning time between a decision in Russia before they are able to actually conduct a military aggressive action against Ukraine.”
Furthermore, to avoid an escalation of the conflict and reduce tensions, Stoltenberg urged Russia to clarify the motive behind increased military concentration in and around Ukraine.
Simultaneously, Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis warned of the possibility of Russian military intervention in Ukraine while Europe continues to deal with the migrant crisis at Poland and Lithuania’s border with Belarus. Landsbergis also expressed concern about Russia setting up a permanent military presence in Belarus.
Keeping these developments in mind, France extended NATO’s support to defend the sovereignty of Ukraine and warned Russia against military build-up in the region. During a phone call with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, French President Emmanuel Macron expressed concern over recent developments at Ukraine’s border and reiterated France’s resolve to defend the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine.
In response, Putin accused the United States and its allies of escalating tensions between Russia and NATO by conducting large-scale military drills in the Black Sea. Both sides also expressed dissatisfaction over the worsening situation in eastern Ukraine and discussed the ongoing migration crisis at the Poland-Belarus border. In this regard, both sides agreed on the need for de-escalation, with Putin suggesting direct communication with Minsk.
Last week, Ukraine’s defence ministry said at least 90,000 Russian troops are deployed near Ukraine’s border and in the occupied territories along the Black Sea. Kyiv’s top diplomat said Russia’s military build-up near Ukraine and temporarily occupied territories should not be seen separately from other crises in Europe.
On the contrary, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov denied allegations made by the US State Department; Washington claims that Russia is using the migrant crisis to divert attention from Russia’s increased military presence near Ukraine. Russia annexed Crimea in 2014, and Russian-backed militants took control of Ukraine’s eastern Donbas region in the same year. Russia claims Black Sea waters around Crimea as its territory.
Europe is currently reeling with numerous crises, including soaring energy prices and a migration crisis at the Poland-Belarus border. Europe has blamed Russia for rising energy prices across the bloc and for not matching the energy demands.
Regarding the Poland-Belarus migration crisis, the EU’s top leaders have accused Russia of aiding Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko in his attempts to create a migration crisis at Europe’s borders. Additionally, the EU and the United States have also accused Belarusian leader of weaponising migrants and agreed to sanction Belarusian airline and government officials for aiding and abetting human trafficking. Both Russia and Belarus have denied any involvement in the ongoing migration crisis.