Poland & Lithuania join Ukraine in urging stronger sanctions on Russia amid troop buildup

On December 20, Poland and Lithuania joined Ukraine in calling for tougher Western sanctions against Russia in the wake of a Russian troop buildup near the Ukrainian border. In Huta in western Ukraine's Carpathian Mountains, Polish President Andrzej Duda and Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to show support against the Russian force buildup.

The three leaders "called upon the international community to step up sanctions on the Russian Federation over its ongoing aggression against Ukraine and once again urged the Kremlin to de-escalate the situation by withdrawing its troops from the Ukrainian borders and temporarily occupied territories," according to a joint statement released after the meeting.

“Our common task is to deter the threat posed by Russia and defend Europe from Russia's aggressive policies. Ukraine, Poland and Lithuania are the vanguard of that deterrence today,” Zelenskyy said following the talks at a press briefing, according to AP.

Russia has gathered 70,000 troops near its border with Ukraine, according to US intelligence officials, and is preparing for an attack early next year. Moscow has denied any plans to attack but has asked that Ukraine and other former Soviet Republics be denied NATO membership and that the alliance's military installations in Central and Eastern Europe be reduced.

Russia must take a step back: Polish President

In 2014, Russia annexed Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula and soon after backed a separatist rebellion in the country's east. Almost 14,000 people have been killed in over seven years of fighting in Ukraine's industrial heartland, known as the Donbas. The Ukrainian president called for strong preventative efforts, very serious sanctions to eliminate any possibility of escalation. Duda also issued a strong warning against any appeasement of Moscow. He stated that Poland is against making any concessions to Russia. Polish President further emphasized that Russia must take a step back.

Moscow published draft security documents on Friday, demanding that the US and its NATO allies deny Ukraine and other former Soviet countries membership and withdraw the alliance's military deployments in Central and Eastern Europe. Moreover, in a video conference with US President Joe Biden last week, his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin demanded security guarantees. Whereas reportedly, the POTUS warned that Moscow would face serious repercussions if it attacked Ukraine.

Russian diplomats have stated that if their requests are not met, Moscow will have to escalate the ante. If NATO equips missiles capable of reaching Russia in a matter of minutes, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko has threatened that Moscow will retaliate.

(With inputs from agencies)

Image: AP