Western Public Support For Ukraine Mounts Amid Russian Buildup Near Border
According to RFE/RL, Western expressions of support for Ukraine are growing amid an uptick in violence and an increased Russian troop presence across the border that have heightened concerns of a widening conflict.
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said on April 6 that he had called Ukraine's president "to express serious concern about Russia’s military activities in and around Ukraine & ongoing ceasefire violations."
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy reportedly told Stoltenberg that a path toward NATO membership was the only way to end war in eastern Ukraine, where Russia-backed separatists continue to battle Ukrainian government forces seven years into the conflict.
Zelenskiy also urged NATO member states to strengthen their military presence in the Black Sea region as a "powerful deterrent" to Moscow.
Stoltenberg tweeted that "#NATO firmly supports #Ukraine’s sovereignty & territorial integrity. We remain committed to our close partnership."
A spokesman for Russian President Vladimir Putin later misleadingly characterized the situation as a "domestic problem" and said Ukrainian membership in the transatlantic military alliance would make things worse.
Since occupying and annexing Crimea from Ukraine early in 2014, overwhelming evidence suggests Russia has continued to lend diplomatic and military aid to armed separatists fighting in eastern Ukraine, despite denials to the contrary.
"We very much doubt that this will help Ukraine settle its domestic problem," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on April 6. "From our point of view, it will only worsen the situation."
Earlier in the day, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said high-level Russian and U.S. officials had discussed the situation in southeastern Ukraine. That TASS report has not yet been confirmed by U.S. officials.
The Russian report follows a demand a day earlier by the U.S. State Department that Moscow explain "provocations," including military movements in the region.
On April 5, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson expressed "significant concerns" about the Russian buildup near Ukraine's border. In a call with Zelenskiy on April 5, Johnson voiced “unwavering support” for Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, Johnson's office said.
U.S. President Joe Biden spoke with Zelenskiy on April 2 about the buildup in his first call with the Ukrainian leader since taking power in January.
Fighting between Ukrainian government forces and Russia-backed separatists in two eastern provinces has spiked in recent weeks despite a cease-fire agreement reached in the summer.
