Russia has not conducted and plans to maintain contacts with the United States on Ukrainian issues at the level of foreign and defense ministers. This was announced on April 10 by the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation Sergei Ryabkov.
The diplomat called the statement made on the eve by the White House press secretary Jen Psaki that the United States “interacts” with Russia at many levels, including at the level of the defense ministries, as disinformation. He pointed out that this message is misleading the public and the governments of the countries.
The contacts, which took place 7-10 days ago, were held at other levels, Ryabkov stressed. He also noted that apart from the information that the United States provided during these contacts, there is nothing more to add, RIA Novosti reports.
“All that remains is to urge Washington to take a more responsible approach to this serious issue, not to escalate tensions and, as a matter of priority, ensure a more responsible attitude to issues related to certain information exchanges between our capitals,” Ryabkov concluded.
The day before, the American delegation headed by the military attaché in Kiev Brittany Stewart paid a working visit to Donbass and got acquainted with the situation on the contact line. Stewart noted that the States are “deeply concerned about the situation” around Ukraine’s borders and “support the sovereignty and territorial integrity” of the country.
The United States announced its support for Ukraine earlier, on April 1, during telephone conversations between the heads of the military departments of Ukraine and the United States, Andrei Taran and Lloyd Austin. In a statement by the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense, it was reported that “in the event of an escalation of Russian aggression, the United States will not leave Ukraine alone and will not allow the implementation of aggressive aspirations” in relation to it.
As a result of the negotiations, Austin issued a statement stating that the United States has allocated more than $ 2 billion to Ukraine since 2014 in providing security assistance. In addition, the American side announced its intentions to further build up the potential of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
Since 2014, Kiev has been conducting a military operation against the residents of Donbass, who refused to recognize the results of the coup and the new government in Ukraine. The settlement issues are being discussed in the “Minsk” and “Normandy” formats – with the participation of Ukraine, Russia, France, Germany.
