Medvedev: Russia could sever diplomatic ties with Ukraine
Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev stated on Friday that Russia could severe diplomatic relations with Ukraine in the light of current security issues between the two countries.
“If there is no other option to influence the situation, the president can probably make such a decision,” Dmitry Medvedev stated, as reported by state media.
This is the first time such measures have been mentioned. The possibility of severing diplomatic relations was not discussed after Russia’s annexation of the Crimea in 2014, nor after separatists supported by Moscow appeared in eastern Ukraine.
On Friday, an official statement from the Russian Armed Forces was released which reported on the deployment of an S-400 anti-aircraft missile system in the Crimea. The S-400 Triumf anti-aircraft missile system can track about 300 targets and hit almost three dozen simultaneously.
Ukrainian troops remain on high alert as relations with Russia are increasingly tense. Ukraine accuses the neighboring country of increasing their military presence in the Crimean Peninsula.
Russia, in turn, states that Ukraine conspired to commit terrorist attacks in the Crimea. Ukraine denies the accusations.
Russia’s annexation of the Crimea has been condemned by world leaders.