US: Russia's actions hinder efforts to resolve the conflict in Ukraine
Washington has criticized the fact that Russia has strengthened their military forces in the south-west region of the country and in the Crimea. This increase in forces was previously announced by Russia’s Defense Minister, Sergey Shoygu.
While at a press briefing on the 27th of July, the US State Department Spokesman, John Kirby, said that these actions prevent the cessation of violence as well as any efforts to de-escalate the conflict in eastern Ukraine.
Kirby stressed that the Crimea is a Ukrainian territory. “We will not allow the boundaries of Europe to be redrawn at gunpoint,” he said.
According to Kirby, Washington expects Moscow to fully implement the Minsk Agreements. He also called on the Kremlin to honor the commitments of the Vienna Document on Confidence- and Security-Building Measures through the channels of communications of the OSCE. This document prohibits participants from deploying, without warning, more than 10,000 men in the area of the planned military exercises.
According to the Russian Minister of Defense Sergey Shoygu, four divisions, nine brigades and 22 regiments were formed in the south-west region of Russia. Two missile brigades, which are equipped with Iskander-M operational-tactical missile complexes, were also created.
He said that the strengthening of their military forces is associated with the build-up of NATO’s presence in Eastern Europe, the situation in Ukraine as well as the activities of international terrorist groups, including in the North Caucasus.
According to Alexey Arbatov, a member of the scientific council of the Carnegie Moscow Center, countries bordering Russia may consider such forces a threat. This is because NATO does not have forces near Russia’s western borders “that are even remotely comparable to our four divisions and nine brigades”. According to Interfax, Arbatov also said that NATO could respond by deploying the Alliance’s troops to the south-east region of Europe to counter the Russian forces.