Russia accuses U.S. of driving aggressively towards war

 

Russia is watching with great concern as the United States (U.S.) continues its aggressive drive to war, with more than 8,000 US troops ready to be deployed to Europe, a Kremlin spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, said yesterday.

Peskov accused Washington of fuelling tensions over Ukraine, insisting that the crisis is being driven by NATO and U.S. actions in the region.

Moscow has reiterated calls for diplomacy and laid out security demands earlier this month in two treaties, which have been rejected by Washington. It is expecting a written response this week.

Russia insists that it is not the instigator but the target of aggression, citing as evidence the U.S. delivery of a package of “lethal aid,” including 90 tons of weapons, to Kiev on Sunday.

NATO said on Monday that it was putting its forces on standby and reinforcing its members in eastern Europe with more ships and fighter jets, a move that Russia denounced as Western “hysteria.”