As Russia and Ukraine began military exercises, Russian President Vladimir Putin praised his diplomats and underscored his demand for “legally enforceable security guarantees” from the United States and NATO.
In a statement on Thursday, Putin said he was confident Russia’s foreign ministry would strengthen the country’s “positions on the world stage” but warned of increasing global tension.
Putin’s remarks coincided with Russia and Belarus launching 10 days of joint military drills. Ukraine’s army is conducting drills in the same period, in response to the Russian war games.
Meanwhile, diplomatic attempts aimed at averting a feared Russian invasion are faltering. After British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss met Sergey Lavrov in Moscow on Thursday, the Russian foreign minister said UK representatives came “unprepared”.
Russia denies it is planning an attack, but Kyiv and its Western allies have been spooked by Moscow’s massing of more than 100,000 troops near Ukraine.
Source aljazeera
