Ukraine’s top diplomat’s comments contradict claims of an impending Russian offensive
Amid continuing allegations from Western leaders and media outlets that Moscow’s armed forces are beefing up their presence at the frontier with Ukraine ahead of launching an incursion, Kiev’s foreign minister has said that country does not see signs that a war could start at any minute.
Speaking to reporters in the Ukrainian capital on Wednesday, Dmitry Kuleba weighed in on tensions along the demarcation line. “The number of Russian troops amassed along the border of Ukraine and occupied territories of Ukraine is large, it poses a threat to Ukraine – a direct threat to Ukraine,” he argued.
According to the official, however, “at the moment, as we speak, this number is insufficient for a full-scale offensive against Ukraine along the entire Ukrainian border. They also lack some important military indicators and systems to conduct such a large full-scale offensive.”
“We can say 100 times a day invasion is imminent, but this doesn’t change the situation on the ground,” he remarked.
Kuleba’s remarks come shortly after the secretary of Kiev’s National Security Council, Alexey Danilov, sought to squash fears of the purported threat of a Russian invasion, describing it as “panic” whipped up for “geopolitical and domestic” reasons in the West. “The buildup of Russian troops isn’t as rapid as some claim,” he said.
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