US blames Russia of 'aggression' as it continues to mobilise troops on Ukrainian border

White House Spokesperson Jen Psaki, on Thursday, said that the internal movement of Russian Troops into the country’s south was “aggression” against Ukraine and the origin of the ongoing crisis. Reiterating American support to Kyiv, Psaki asserted that the “aggression” was on the Russian side. She also blamed Moscow for “rhetoric escalations” in the past and for spreading misinformation. Previously, NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg had also emphasised that the history of the Crimean invasion could be repeated. 

“The Russians are known for their rhetorical escalations, as they are also known for their ways of providing misinformation around the world and within eastern flank countries,” Psaki told reporters.

Since the beginning of this year, Russian Federation has mobilised troops near the Donbas region of Ukraine. This has escalated fears of a possible annexation of the erstwhile Soviet state by Russia. More recently, Ukrainian intelligence services have also predicted that a “large scale escalation” could take place as early as next month. 

Unwavering support to Ukraine

Amidst all this, US President Joe Biden has pledged “unwavering support” to Ukraine and also warned Russian President Vladimir Putin of economic sanctions if his troops make any annexation attempts on Ukraine. According to Sputnik, Biden made his stance clear during a phone call with the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday. He had spoken to Putin on Monday. 

A White House readout of Biden-Putin call released later on Thursday said Biden "made clear that the US and our Allies would respond with strong economic and other measures in the event of a further military intervention" and "reaffirmed the United States’ unwavering commitment to Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity."

Last week, NATO  Chief Jens Stoltenberg cautioned the international community against Moscow’s “unclear intentions.” “There is no certainty, no clarity about exactly what are the Russian intentions, and they may evolve and change,” the NATO chief said. To back his stance, he highlighted the Russian invasion of Crimea in 2014 and said, “They’ve done it before." 

(Image: AP)