Russian President Vladimir Putin has accused the United States and its allies of ignoring Moscow’s security concerns over Ukraine but says he hopes the two sides will be able to negotiate a solution to the intensifying standoff.
Putin said that while the US says it is concerned about Ukraine’s security, it is using the ex-Soviet country as a “tool” in its efforts to contain Russia.
The US and its allies accuse Russia of planning to invade Ukraine, something Russia has repeatedly denied.In recent weeks Russia has moved about 100,000 troops - equipped with everything from tanks and artillery to ammunition and air power - to Ukraine's border.
Speaking after talks with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban in Moscow, Mr Putin said: "It seems to me that the United States is not so much concerned about the security of Ukraine... but its main task is to contain Russia's development. In this sense Ukraine itself is just a tool to reach this goal."
The comments – Putin’s first on the crisis in more than a month – suggested that a Russian invasion of Ukraine, as the West fears, may not be imminent and that at least one more round of diplomacy is likely.
The standoff has resulted in tensions between Russia and the West reaching levels not seen since the end of the Cold War.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky however warned on Tuesday that a Russian invasion would "not be a war between Ukraine and Russia - this would be a war in Europe, a full-scale one".
"Imagine that Ukraine is a Nato member and a military operation [to regain Crimea] begins," the Russian leader said. "What - are we going to fight with Nato? Has anyone thought about this? It seems like they haven't."