10:16 12.11.2021

Russia may be 'looking to move further' into Ukraine - Kuleba

2 min read
Russia may be 'looking to move further' into Ukraine - Kuleba

Foreign Minister of Ukraine Dmytro Kuleba believes that Russia may be seeking to "move further" into Ukraine.

"We do not want to scare anyone, but we have to remain vigilant," Foreign Affairs Minister Dmytro Kuleba told ABC News.

According to him, Russia again masses troops and equipment on the border with Ukraine, which may testify to the fact that the Russian government is "looking for the opportunity to move further" into Ukrainian territory.

"We are extremely worried (…) But when you live next to Russia for seven years in an armed conflict, you kind of learn to be worried. You get used to it," Kuleba noted.

Speaking about the results of the meetings held in the United States, Kuleba noted that the American authorities have shown that they are ready not only to speak, but also to act.

"The United States are ready not only to talk, but also to act, to act in order to deter Russia and to strengthen Ukraine's capacity to defend itself," he said.

Kuleba noted the "turbulence" in U.S.-Ukrainian relations during the Trump years, but with Joe Biden's tenure as the President of the United States communications have been restored.

Nevertheless, Kuleba added that disagreements still remain, in particular over the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline and its use as an energy weapon.

"We have differences in seeing how the negative consequences of this project being implemented can be avoided or prevented," Kuleba told ABC News.

"We definitely want the United States to remain vigilant and ready, ready to take action if the current policy fails [in relation to Nord Stream 2]," he concluded.

It was earlier reported that Kuleba this week visited Washington, where a meeting of the Ukraine-U.S. Strategic Partnership Commission was held, designed to consolidate a new level of strategic partnership and the country's support from the United States. During the visit, he met with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and U.S. President's National Security Advisor Jacob Sullivan.

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