WASHINGTON Feb 16U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken called «aggression» from Russia this week likely, citing military deployments around Ukraine. Ukraine,» Blinken said in an interview with France 24. The text of the interview was distributed by the press service of the State Department. Earlier, the Politico newspaper, citing informed sources, wrote that US President Joe Biden, at a video conference with leaders of Western countries, the European Union and NATO, called the date of «invasion» of Russia to Ukraine on February 16. Commenting on these reports on Tuesday afternoon, Russian leader spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that such publications are difficult to take seriously, and Russian President Vladimir Putin sometimes jokingly asks to know if the exact time of the start of the war is published anywhere. Kiev and Western states in Recently, they have been expressing concern over the alleged increase in «aggressive actions» by Russia near the borders of Ukraine. Moscow has repeatedly denied such accusations, saying that it does not threaten anyone and is not going to attack anyone, 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 statements The West about «Russian aggression» and the possibility of helping Kiev defend itself against it is both ridiculous and dangerous. 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. Statements that Russia is allegedly preparing provocations in Ukraine continue to come from the West, despite the return of Russian troops to their places of deployment after the exercises. Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu at a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday reported that «some of the exercises are coming to an end, some will be completed in the near future.» The southern and western military districts of the Russian Federation have begun returning troops to their places of deployment, Major General Igor Konashenkov, spokesman for the Russian Defense Ministry, told reporters on Tuesday. questioned the veracity of reports of an «invasion» of Ukraine
