Russian Ambassador to the European Union Vladimir Chizhov stressed that Moscow “will not invade Ukraine Unless we are provoked.”
“We will not invade Ukraine unless we are provoked to do so,” Chizhov, who has represented Russia in Brussels since 2005, said in an interview with the British newspaper “The Guardian” on Monday.
“make an accident”
He also stressed that “if the Ukrainians launch an offensive against Russia, do not be surprised if we counterattack. Or if they brazenly kill Russian citizens anywhere, in Donbass or elsewhere,” referring to the eastern region of Ukraine where pro-Russian separatists are fighting Ukrainian forces. eight years ago.
Tanks of the Ukrainian armed forces in the Kharkiv region (archive from AFP)
Chizhov also warned that Ukraine’s “provocation” could push the Kremlin to act, adding: “What I mean by provocation is that they can create an incident against the declared republics of Donbass, provoke them, and then hit them hard, provoking Russia’s reaction to avoid a humanitarian catastrophe on its borders.” France Press.
More than 100,000 Russian soldiers
It is noteworthy that concern about the outbreak of a major conflict in Europe is growing with the mobilization of more than 100,000 Russian soldiers at the Ukrainian border.
Moscow has always denied having an offensive intent, knowing that it annexed Crimea in 2014 from Ukraineand supports separatists loyal to it in the east of this country.
From the Russian-Ukrainian border (archive from AFP)
On the other hand, Russia says that it is threatened by the expansion of NATO in Eastern Europe and demands “security guarantees”, especially an assurance that Kiev will never join the alliance.