The planned deployment of a large number of troops from the United States and its NATO allies to Ukraine is a “dangerous process,” Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Grigory Karasin says.
“We know that hundreds of US and NATO military servicemen are planning to go to Ukraine to train the National Guard. Training camps are being set up not only in western Ukraine but also in other districts of the country. This is a dangerous process,” Karasin said in an interview published in the Wednesday issue of the Russian daily Rossiyskaya Gazeta.
“We will work to make sure that all foreign and illegal armed units leave Ukraine,” he added.
The Russian official also stated that the US should take a constructive approach toward resolving the conflict in eastern Ukraine, saying, “It is clear that everyone is interested in Washington’s having a constructive effect on Kiev.”
The remarks come amid increasing tensions between Washington and Moscow over the crisis in Ukraine.
The US accuses Russia of supporting the pro-Russia forces fighting against the Ukrainian government in the eastern part of the country, an allegation denied by the Kremlin.
The United States and its European allies have been conducting a military drill, called Operation Atlantic Resolve, near Russian borders since the crisis in Ukraine.
The US Navy sent the guided missile destroyer USS Jason Dunham to the Black Sea on April 3 to join the drill.
The amphibious command ship Mount Whitney, frigate Taylor, cruiser Vella Gulf, and destroyers Truxtun, Donald Cook, Ross, and Cole are among the other ships participating in the drills.
Last month, US Army Europe said in a statement that the forces would remain deployed for about nine months to reassure the Baltic states of its commitment in the face of Russia’s “aggressive moves” in Ukraine.
Ukraine has been witnessing a deadly months-long conflict in its eastern parts with pro-Russians having declared self-proclaimed independent regions.
More than 6,000 people have died in the Ukrainian conflict, the UN says. Around 1.5 million people have also been forced to flee their homes over the past months of the turmoil.
