Russian Defense Minister Sergei Choigu spoke by phone on Sunday with his European counterparts Sébastien Lecornu of France, Ben Wallace of the United Kingdom and Hulusi Akar of Turkey about rising tensions in Ukraine. The movement, in a single day, is the most intense since the beginning of the war.
During the calls, the Russian minister said that the situation in Ukraine “tends to a greater and uncontrolled escalation”, according to a statement released by the country’s Defense Ministry. He also expressed concern about “possible provocations by Ukraine with the use of a ‘dirty bomb'”.
The Kremlin, however, has not offered any evidence to support the claim.
In a statement, Lecornu said France wanted a peaceful resolution to the conflict and would not be involved in the escalation of the war in any way, especially regarding nuclear options. The Frenchman also said that he plans to speak soon with his Ukrainian defense colleague.
Britain’s Wallace, for his part, refuted accusations made by the Russian minister that Western countries are facilitating a Kiev plan to escalate the conflict in Ukraine.
On Sunday, Choigu also spoke by phone with US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, their second contact in three days. Before, they hadn’t spoken since May. Moscow did not say the content of the conversation or what topics were discussed.
In a statement, the US government stressed the need for lines of communication amid the war, and a Russian diplomat told state news agency Tass that the call was necessary to eliminate misunderstandings.
Russia has faced a Ukrainian counteroffensive since late September in the eastern and southern regions.
In October, a Ukrainian truck bomb blew up the Crimea Bridge, a structure linking the peninsula annexed by Russia in 2014 to Russian territory. In response, Russian President Vladimir Putin coordinated a broad attack on Ukrainian cities targeting energy supply infrastructure.
Cities across the country face shortages of water and electricity, and the Ukrainian government says more than a million people are without power. On the other hand, on Saturday (23), Kremlin officials in Kherson, in southern Ukraine, called for the immediate departure of civilians and Russian administration ministries in the region.
The statement came after warnings of an imminent Ukrainian offensive to regain control of the city.
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