The White House has denied reports that Russia has halted operations in eastern Ukraine
John Kirby, the strategic communications coordinator for the White House National Security Council, denied reports on Friday evening local time about a Russian military standoff in eastern Ukraine. Ukraine claims to stop Russia’s advance.
This White House official said: We do not believe that what is happening in Donbas means a stop.
The strategic communications coordinator of the National Security Council of the Biden administration stated: There is still a lot of activity going on in Donbass.
He continued that Moscow is renewing its forces in the south and east of Ukraine, and in other areas there is a real battle between Russian and Ukrainian forces.
US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken met and talked with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov for the first time after the Ukraine war on Friday local time; A conversation that the American diplomat considers “frank and direct”.
According to reports, the US Secretary of State claimed on Friday that in a conversation with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, he pressured him to accept Washington’s offer to release Brittany Griner and Paul Whelan, two American citizens detained in Russia.
US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken met and talked with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov for the first time after the Ukraine war on Friday local time; A conversation that the American diplomat considers “frank and direct”.
According to reports, the US Secretary of State claimed on Friday that in a conversation with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, he pressured him to accept Washington’s offer to release Brittany Griner and Paul Whelan, two American citizens detained in Russia.
On February 21, 2022 (March 2, 1400), Russian President Vladimir Putin recognized the independence of the Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics in the Donbas region, criticizing the West’s indifference to Moscow’s security concerns. On February 23 (March 4) and just one day before the start of the war in Ukraine, the Council of the European Union approved the first package of sanctions against Russia in response to this action.
On Thursday, February 24 (March 5, 1400), Putin also launched military operations against Ukraine, which he called “special operations”, thus turning the tense Moscow-Kiev relationship into a military confrontation.