US Department of State Building in Washington DCWASHINGTON, Jan 24The US administration is once again calling on the Russian Federation to take steps to reduce tensions around Ukraine so that relations between Moscow and Washington do not develop along the path of hostility or conflict, a senior State Department official said Sunday. nothing is threatened.» As we continue to strive for peace, we must be clear that if Russia chooses to escalate, there will be massive consequences. We call on President (Vladimir) Putin to take steps to de-escalate this crisis, so that Russia and the United States can develop relations that are not based on hostility or conflict,» a representative of the American diplomatic service said during a special briefing. Russia has repeatedly rejected the accusations of the West and Ukraine of «aggressive actions», stating that it does not threaten anyone and no one is not going to attack, and statements about «Russian aggression» are used as an excuse to deploy more NATO military equipment near Russian borders. The Russian Foreign Ministry previously noted that Western statements about «Russian aggression» and the possibility of helping Kiev defend itself against it are both ridiculous and dangerous. At the same time, Kiev and Western states have recently expressed concern about the alleged increase in «aggressive actions» sides of Russia near the borders of Ukraine. Press Secretary of the President of the Russian Federation Dmitry Peskov said that Russia is moving troops within its territory and at its own discretion. According to him, this does not threaten anyone and should not worry anyone. As Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said earlier, Russia does not create any pretexts for a conflict situation around Ukraine.
State Department: Russia may create a «pretext» for escalation around Ukraine
