Escalation in Donbass: Zelensky requested talks with Putin, but Moscow denies this

The authorities of Russia and Ukraine, against the background of the aggravation of the situation around Donbass, exchanged contradictory statements. In Kiev, they say that Vladimir Zelensky wanted to talk with Vladimir Putin, but did not receive consent. Moscow states that they have not received a request for a conversation. What's going on is sorted out Air force.

Zelenskiy has asked for talks with Russian leader Vladimir Putin to discuss the escalation of the conflict in eastern Ukraine, but has not yet received a response, Reuters reported, citing Ukrainian presidential press secretary Yulia Mendel.

She recalled that Zelensky will go to Paris to discuss the build-up of the Russian military contingent and the escalation of the conflict in Donbass, writes Reuters. On April 9, the KyivPost newspaper reported that the Ukrainian president could meet with French President Emmanuel Macron next week to discuss escalation in Donbass and reforms in Ukraine.

“The President’s Office, of course, requested negotiations with Vladimir Putin. We have not yet received a response and we really hope that this is not a refusal to engage in dialogue,” Mendel said.

The Kremlin said that this is not the case.

“I haven’t seen any requests in recent days. I don’t know that there have been any requests in recent days,” Putin’s press secretary Dmitry Peskov told reporters. He emphasized the words “in the last days.”

“Does Vladimir Putin have anything to say to Vladimir Zelensky?” — asked a journalist from the UNIAN agency.

“When it comes to defusing tensions and preventing a potential war, Vladimir Putin always has something to say,” Peskov responded.

After this, Interfax contacted Mendel, and she clarified that we were not talking about the events of recent days. According to her, Zelensky sent a request for negotiations to President Putin on March 26, “immediately after the death of four servicemen” near the contact line in Donbass.

The escalation of tensions began after the deaths of these four military personnel. Moscow and the self-proclaimed republics accused the Ukrainian authorities of unwillingness to follow the peace agreements and the intention to use military force. Kiev, in turn, announced the movement of Russian troops near the border of Ukraine.

Western countries, following Kiev, announced an escalation of the situation.

On the subject: 'Atypical activity': NATO fighters intercept Russian planes 10 times in a day

The United States stated that it recorded the largest number of Russian troops near the borders of Ukraine since 2014. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Russia would face consequences if it continued to "act aggressively and irresponsibly." German Chancellor Angela Merkel spoke by phone with Putin on April 9 and called for a reduction in the Russian military presence on the border with Ukraine.

On April 9, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Ruslan Khomchak said that assumptions about preparations for an offensive in the conflict zone in Donbass are disinformation.

“The liberation of temporarily occupied territories by force will inevitably lead to the death of a large number of civilians and losses among military personnel, which is unacceptable for Ukraine. Being committed to universal human values ​​and the norms of international humanitarian law, our state puts the lives of its citizens first,” the statement said.

Reuters, citing a source “close to both the Kremlin and pro-Russian separatists,” called the massing of troops to the border with Ukraine “a deliberate show of force” and not preparation for a possible invasion.

“Moscow is doing this openly, deliberately displaying tanks during the daytime. This is not how they prepare for war, it’s just a show of force,” the agency’s interlocutor said.

On the morning of April 12, Kiev and the self-proclaimed republics reported a small number of ceasefire violations in Donbas.

NATO troops in Europe have raised the level of combat readiness

As ForumDaily wrote earlier, in early April, the European command of the US Armed Forces increased its combat readiness to its highest level since renewed fighting between Russian-backed separatists and Ukrainian soldiers in the Donetsk region in eastern Ukraine, marking the end of the June 2020 ceasefire. Russian forces have begun to build up military equipment along the border.

Due to the aggravation of the situation, NATO aircraft flew 29 times only on March 10 in response to an unusually large number of flights of Russian fighters and bombers near Allied airspace. In addition, three Russian nuclear-armed submarines recently broke through several feet of ice in the Arctic in a new show of power in the region.

General Glen Van Herck, head of the US Northern Command, in charge of the country's defense, acknowledged the recent surge in Russian aggression, calling it Moscow's efforts to "restore its influence on the world stage."

Pentagon leaders express their concern to NATO allies about the resumption of hostilities in Eastern Europe, which killed four Ukrainian soldiers and injured two more on March 26, as well as a buildup of Russian troops, Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said on Wednesday, March 31.

Also on Wednesday, March 31, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said that he had discussed "ways to strengthen cooperation in the field of security" with Secretary of State Anthony Blinken.

The United States sent ships to the Black Sea and offers fighters

As it became known on April 10, the United States sent 2 warships to the Black Sea due to the fact that Russia is building up its military power on the border with Ukraine and in the annexed Crimea. The ships will be there until May 4. Russian media said that Turkey has already informed the Russian Federation that American warships will enter the Black Sea. In accordance with the Montreux Convention, Turkey sent a message to all its participants about the passage of warships to the Black Sea.

The Montreux Convention, signed in 1936, states that Turkey has sovereignty over the Bosporus and Dardanelles and controls the passage of warships of non-Black Sea states to the Black Sea. Such ships can stay in the Black Sea for a maximum of 21 days.

Former Ukrainian ambassador to the United States Valery Chaly said that Ukraine is offered to provide fighters under the lend-lease, writes MIL... We are talking about replacing the fleet of Soviet aircraft Su-24, Su-25, MiG-29 and Su-27. First of all, this concerns the fleet of aircraft that needs to be decommissioned.

“In America there are calls, etc. my friends who work in this sector. They propose to provide Ukraine with lend-lease, so to speak, fighters that could not only create a threat to Russia, no, but simply replace this fleet, which is outdated in our country, which needs to be taken out of use,” said Valery Chaly.

At the same time, according to him, Ukraine needs new refueling aircraft and a new radar system.

“We need them (radar stations - ed.) now. This is a fixation. This is not to hit anyone right away. No, this is recording (the actions of Russians in the sky - ed.), this is defending,” Chaly noted.

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Border traffic

Russian investigators with the Conflict Intelligence Team (CIT) have discovered a new field army camp near the Ukrainian border in the Voronezh region of Russia. The investigators note that the troop movements that are now taking place are the largest since Debaltseve in 2015.

Many observers believe that such actions by the Kremlin are an information and psychological operation of pressure on the Ukrainian authorities and the new US administration.

The United States has repeatedly expressed concern about the escalation of the conflict in Donbass and the actions of Russia, in particular, we are building up military power on the border.

“Russia now has more troops on the border with Ukraine than at any time since 2014. This week alone, five Ukrainian soldiers were killed. These signals are deeply troubling, ”said Jen Psaki, spokeswoman for the White House, at a recent briefing.

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy visited eastern Ukraine on April 8-9 and said that the Ukrainian authorities and the military are doing "everything to protect the Ukrainian state and ensure a ceasefire."

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