European Union: More than 100,000 Russian soldiers at the Ukrainian border

More than 100,000 Russian soldiers are now stationed on the Ukrainian border and the Crimean peninsula. This says the head of foreign affairs of the European Union, Josep Borrell, Reuters and The Associated Press. He calls on Russia to withdraw its forces, because with such a military focus, in his opinion, igniting a confrontation does not take much.

Since the end of March, Moscow has increased its military presence in the Crimea with thousands of additional soldiers. Since then, tensions have escalated between Ukraine and Russia. Borrell made his remarks on Monday after a digital consultation with, among other things, Ukraine’s Minister of Foreign Affairs. It is not known on what basis this figure was based; According to Borrell, this will be the largest number of soldiers at the border in history. Also, according to the US Department of Defense in Washington, there are now more soldiers at the border than there were in 2014, when Russia annexed Crimea.

Last week, the United States had already announced sanctions on Russia, partly due to behavior in Crimea. The United States is concerned about a Russian plan to close part of the Black Sea to foreign warships. A spokesman said in a statement that the plan was “an escalation without cause” to “undermine and destabilize Ukraine.”

According to Borrell, the European Union supports US sanctions, but has yet to announce any measures against Russia. Also, no Russian diplomats have been deported. Other countries have also expressed their concerns in recent weeks. Germany, France and NATO, among others, have called on Russia to withdraw its forces.