After the Atlantic Alliance in recent days, it was the Twenty-seven who expressed “great concern” over the growing mobilization of Russian soldiers on the border with Ukraine. The mass of troops is “the most massive ever recorded on the border” between the two countries, said High Representative for Foreign and Security Policy Josep Borrell. New sanctions against the Russian government, however, are not on the agenda for now.
“The largest deployment ever seen”
“There is a clear risk of escalation in light of the deployment of 150,000 Russian soldiers on the border with Ukraine. This is the largest deployment ever seen. It is worrying. We are not safe from an accident, ”said the head of European diplomacy Borrell after a video meeting of the Union’s foreign ministers. The Spanish politician refused to reveal the source of his information, speaking of the presence of troops, armaments and field hospitals.
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The figure of 150,000 soldiers is double the 80,000 quoted last week by NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, who then attributed the estimate to Kiev (see Il Sole 24 Ore of April 14). The Donbass region of Ukraine has been in the hands of pro-Russian separatists for years. Several times, Moscow has said it is ready to intervene should it fear for the safety of its citizens. The Russian government generously granted its citizenship to residents of eastern Ukraine.
The risk of an accident
“The great concern among foreign ministers is that the situation gets out of hand – analyzes a diplomat in Brussels -. If the chain of command on both sides of the border is iron, the tensions, probably wanted for nationalistic reasons both in Ukraine and in Russia, are manageable. On the other hand, if there is no control from the center, there is the risk of an accident on the ground ». As early as 2014, Crimea was snatched from Ukraine and annexed by Russia.
“The strengthening of the Russian military presence on the border must stop. We are calling for an easing of tensions, ”said the High Representative on behalf of the Twenty-seven. Attending the ministerial meeting, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba asked the European Union for new sanctions against Russia. On Twitter, he specified: «The key element is the preparation of a new series of sectoral sanctions. Individual sanctions are no longer sufficient ».