3 yıl önce

EU's Borrell: No Ukraine negotiations under pressure from Russia

EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said that Moscow's massive build-up and movements near Ukraine border "are part of the pressure".

Reuters

"Russian movements are part of the pressure," EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said.

The European Union will not negotiate with Russian authorities over the fate of Ukraine so long as Moscow is massing troops at the country's border.

The statement came from EU foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, ahead of a meeting of EU defence and foreign ministers on Thursday.

"Russian movements are part of the pressure," Borrell said, insisting that there "should not be negotiation under pressure."

"There will not be any decisions taken today because this is an informal meeting", Borrell added, though he indicated that a political statement is likely.

The meeting comes after tense negotiations between US and Russian officials in Geneva on Monday.

"We have received assurances that nothing will be decided nor negotiated without the Europeans, and the coordination with the Americans is absolutely excellent," Borrell said.

A planned invasion of Ukraine?

The negotiations on Monday failed to produce an agreement on de-escalating the conflict but saw both sides offer to continue talking.

Washington and its allies have accused Russia of planning an invasion after deploying some 100,000 troops in several areas along Ukraine's border.

The move has stoked fears of a repeat of 2014, when Moscow seized the Crimea peninsula and a pro-Russian insurgency broke out in eastern Ukraine that has since claimed more than 13,000 lives.

As tensions have spiralled, Russia has also demanded that NATO must not admit new members, including Ukraine.

Moscow has also called for the United States to be barred from establishing new bases in former Soviet republics.