NATO Secretary General Discussed Russia-Ukraine Tensions
Moscow, Feb 17: NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said he had discussed the tensions of the Russian-Ukrainian border with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
On Wednesday, defense ministers of the NATO member states discussed the situation around Ukraine. The officials welcomed diplomatic efforts aimed de-escalating the tensions as well as decided to consider the deployment of additional troops in Eastern Europe.
“Good call with @vonderleyen to discuss #Russia & #Ukraine. I briefed her on the first day of our #NATO Defence Ministers meeting. We will continue our close NATO-#EU cooperation & stand united for the benefit of all our citizens,” Stoltenberg wrote on his Twitter page on late Wednesday. Western countries continue to allege that Russia is preparing an attack against Ukraine, citing a troop buildup on the border. Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said on Tuesday that Moscow was withdrawing some of its forces from the border with Ukraine.
On the same day, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu told Russian President Vladimir Putin that some drills with Belarus had ended while others were going on as planned. The joint Russia-Belarus drills are expected to finish up on Sunday. Russia has consistently denied any plans to invade Ukraine, stressing that its own security is jeopardized by NATO’s increasing presence near Russian borders.
