Germany and the United States demand that Russia withdraw its troops from the border

Defence Redefined

Published on 15/04/2021 at 08:44

Chancellor Angela Merkel and US President Joe Biden are urging Russia to withdraw troops from its border with Ukraine so as to de-escalate tensions, German government spokesman stated on Wednesday.

The United States and NATO say they have been alarmed by the concentration of Russian forces near Ukraine and Crimea, the peninsula Moscow annexed from Kiev in 2014.

Russia and Ukraine held simultaneous large-scale military drills yesterday as NATO Foreign and Defence Ministers held urgent talks on the mobilization of Russian troops on the Ukrainian border.

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During a telephone conversation, Merkel and Biden discussed developments in eastern Ukraine and called on Russia to avoid any further escalation.

“The chancellor and the president have agreed that Russia should mitigate the recent deployment of military aid in order to de-escalate the situation,” said Stephen Seibert.

For its part, the White House said in a press release that Joe Biden and Chancellor Angela Merkel “expressed concern over the concentration of Russian troops on the borders of Ukraine and the occupied Crimea and reaffirmed their support for Ukraine’s national sovereignty and territorial integrity.”

White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki said Biden had told Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday that Moscow’s actions had consequences. Turkish diplomatic sources said on Wednesday that the United States had canceled the deployment of two warships in the Black Sea.

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Source: CNA