Lavrov tells Blinken West seeking to provoke Ukraine conflict

MOSCOW/WASHINGTON — Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Saturday accused the United States of seeking to provoke a conflict in Ukraine, during a call with his US counterpart Antony Blinken, the Russian foreign ministry said.

Lavrov said "the propaganda campaign unleashed by the United States and its allies concerning 'Russian aggression' against Ukraine pursues provocative goals," the Russian foreign ministry said.

That had the effect of "encouraging the authorities in Kyiv to sabotage the Minsk agreements and harm attempts to resolve the 'Donbass problem' by force," it added, referring to eastern Ukraine.

Lavrov and Blinken spoke by phone as US President Joe Biden and France's Emmanuel Macron prepared to sound out Russian leader Vladimir Putin later Saturday after Washington warned that an all-out invasion could begin "any day".

Weeks of tensions have seen Russia surround its western neighbour with more than 100,000 troops. Moscow is demanding binding security guarantees from the West that includes a pledge to roll NATO forces out of eastern Europe and to never expand into Ukraine.

Washington has flatly rejected the demands while offering to discuss a new European disarmament agreement with Moscow.

On Saturday Lavrov reiterated that the West had ignored “key” Moscow demands, the foreign ministry said.

“It was emphasised that these issues will be at the centre of our assessment of the documents received from the US and NATO,” the ministry added.

Meanwhile, the Pentagon announced on Saturday that the United States is withdrawing nearly all of its remaining soldiers from Ukraine as tensions soar over a possible Russian invasion of the eastern European country.

Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin “has ordered the temporary repositioning of the 160 members of the Florida national guard,” who were in the country “advising and mentoring Ukrainian forces”, Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said in a statement.

The troops, who Kirby said were being withdrawn “with the safety and security of our personnel foremost in mind”, will be repositioned “elsewhere in Europe”.

Since 2015, reservists from the US national guard have been advising and training Ukraine’s army alongside soldiers from other NATO countries, notably Canada and Germany.

“This repositioning does not signify a change in our determination to support Ukraine’s Armed Forces, but will provide flexibility in assuring allies and deterring aggression,” Kirby said.

Earlier on Saturday, the United States ordered all non-emergency Kyiv embassy staff to leave the country because of the threat of a Russian invasion.

Weeks of tensions, during which Russia has surrounded its western neighbour with more than 100,000 troops, intensified when the Kremlin launched its biggest naval drills in years across the Black Sea.

Washington on Friday issued its most dire warning yet that Russia had assembled enough forces to launch a serious assault.

“Our view that military action could occur any day now, and could occur before the end of the Olympics, is only growing in terms of its robustness,” US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan warned.