The United Kingdom provides Ukraine with new weapons to increase its “defensive capacity”, as explained by London, and has also sent personnel to Ukraine for a short period of time to prepare the new weapons supplied and carry out training tasks.
The Russian Defense Minister told Wallace that the situation on the European continent is increasingly tense, but that it is not Russia’s fault.
“I am delighted that you have come to Moscow, to the Russian Defense Ministry. The military and political situation in Europe is becoming more and more tense and it is not our fault at all,” he said.
He said that Russia does not always fully understand the reasons behind the escalation of such tensions, but still sees them rising.
Russia has accumulated more than 100,000 soldiers on the border with Ukraine for months and this week has begun joint maneuvers with Belarus a few kilometers from Kiev that have fueled Western fears of an imminent Russian attack on Ukrainian territory.
Shoigú expressed his hope that it would be possible to discuss with Wallace “urgent issues on the reduction of these tensions”, as well as the Russian proposal addressed in December to NATO and the United States for binding security guarantees that the Atlantic Alliance would not it will expand further east and no offensive weapons will be emplaced near Russian borders.
Ukrainian trenches are ready for a possible Russian invasion
The US and NATO have already responded last month to Russia to these proposals and rule out changing NATO’s open-door policy, but admit the possibility of resuming dialogue in the Russia-NATO Council and on arms control and military exercises .