US claims Russia deploying additional forces to Ukrainian border

BERLIN (AA) – The US accused Russia on Friday of deploying additional troops to the Ukrainian border despite its announcement of a partial military withdrawal.

Speaking at the Munich Security Conference, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said there was no sign of Russian troop pullout.

“On the contrary, we see additional forces going to the border, including leading-edge forces, that would be part of any aggression,” he said.

“So we have to be informed by that, we have to be extremely vigilant,” he added.

The top US diplomat reiterated that Western nations are willing to find a diplomatic solution, but also ready to respond with sanctions if Russia launches a military attack on Ukraine.

“The single greatest source of strength that we have in dealing with this challenge is the solidarity,” he stressed.

“I think (Russian) President Putin has been a little bit surprised at that solidarity, at the way that NATO has come together, the European Union has come together.”

Moscow has repeatedly denied any plan to invade Ukraine and accused Western countries of undermining Russia’s security through NATO’s expansion toward its borders.

It also issued a list of security demands to the West, including a rollback of troop deployments from some ex-Soviet states and guarantees that Ukraine and Georgia would not join NATO.