“It is Russia that over the years has invaded, has occupied, has fomented conflict against its neighbors and others. The list is long – I probably don’t have time to go through all of them – but Ukraine, Georgia, Moldova, just to name a few,” Ned Price, US State Department Spokesperson said.
“There are Russian forces and Russian-backed forces on sovereign Ukrainian territory. As we speak today, Russia, as we’ve just discussed, has amassed tens of thousands, almost a hundred thousand, troops on Ukraine’s borders, and they’ve done so in a relatively short period of time. It was of course Russia that in 2014 sought to annex Crimea, instigated a war in eastern Ukraine, continues to fuel conflict there. It is Russia that over the years has invaded, has occupied, has fomented conflict against its neighbors and others. The list is long – I probably don’t have time to go through all of them – but Ukraine, Georgia, Moldova, just to name a few. It is Russia that over the years has interfered in democratic elections, including our own, but of course not limited to our own. They have used, extraterritorially, chemical weapons. They have orchestrated cyber attacks. They’ve used energy as a weapon, among other tactics.
So again, you’ll have to pardon and probably understand our skepticism when we hear from the Russians that these are just exercises; that, as we heard from them today, that we shouldn’t be concerned. We hear that. What we want to see are signs of de-escalation, and certainly a sign of de-escalation would be for these troops to return to their permanent bases”, said Ned Price.
