The foreign ministers of the G7 group of economies have told Russia to "de-escalate" tensions on its border with Ukraine. World powers kicked Moscow out of the former G8 club over its 2014 annexation of Crimea.
A woman visits her home in the separatist-controlled territory to collect her belongings after a recent shelling outside Donetsk, eastern UkraineImage: AP Photo/picture alliance
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The G7 group of leading economic powers warned Russia on Monday to "cease its provocations" on its border with Ukraine.
The seven foreign ministers, including top diplomats from the US, Germany and the UK, said they were "deeply concerned" by the build-up of Russian military forces on Ukraine’s borders and in Crimea.
"These large-scale troop movements, without prior notification, represent threatening and destabilizing activities," the statement said.
What is the background to the conflict?
Russia seized Crimea from Ukraine in February 2014 before annexing it through a referendum that has been widely rejected by the international community, including the United Nations.
World powers then moved to expel Russia from the G8 — as it then was — for breaking international law with its conduct in Ukraine.
At least 14,000 people have died in the conflict in the country's east where pro-Russian separatists have been fighting for the past seven years.
Eastern Ukraine: Saber-rattling between Moscow and Kyiv
Tanks rumble past, cannons thunder: Both Russia and Ukraine have reinforced military presence at their common border in the Donbass region. Both sides are accusing each other of provocation. Is escalation imminent?
Image: Serhoy Takhmazov/Reuters
Troops deployed to the Donbass region
In the first week of April, Russia had begun to build up its military presence at the border with Ukraine. This was a reaction to Ukraine's "provocations" — which were aimed at escalating the conflict between Russian separatists and Ukrainian government troops, the Kremlin said. According to observers sent by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), there was no provocation.
A tank fires during control checks of Russia's armed forces. On both sides of the Russian-Ukrainian border, troops are testing the combat readiness of their weapon systems. This thumbnail was taken from a video released by the Russian Defense Ministry.
The US, NATO and the EU have pledged support for Ukraine's efforts to defend its territory. Ankara said on Friday that the US had already announced at the end of March that it would be sending two warships to the Black Sea in mid-April. The USS Thomas Hudner (pictured) is one of two missile destroyers which sailed through the Bosporus in March.
Image: Murad Sezer/REUTERS
War raging for seven years
The conflict in eastern Ukraine broke out in early 2014, when pro-Russian rebels seized control in parts of the Ukrainian districts of Donetsk and Luhansk. According to the Ukrainian government and its Western allies, the Kremlin supports the rebels unofficially by providing mercenaries and weapons. Since 2014, several ceasefires have been agreed upon. They were, however, broken time and again.
Image: Oleksandr Klymenko/REUTERS
Civilians bear the brunt
A Donetsk resident inspects the ruins of his house, destroyed during a conflict between militants of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic and the Ukrainian armed forces. Although mainly soldiers, mercenaries, rebels and militiamen are involved in the conflict, the civilian population is repeatedly affected. At the beginning of 2019, the UN recorded 3,300 civilians killed.
Image: Alexander Ermochenko/Reuters
Ceasefires and hostilities
Since 2014, combat activities of varying intensity have claimed the lives of a total of more than 13,000 people. The current ceasefire, in force since July 2020, is relatively stable, according to the OSCE. Recently, however, hostilities have increased again. At least seven Ukrainian government soldiers and a five-year-old boy were killed during the last two weeks.
Image: Serhiy Takhmazov/Reuters
Boosting the troops' morale
During a visit to the Donbass region earlier in the week, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy inspected the situation on the ground and honored soldiers for services rendered. On Saturday, he will meet President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Turkey. According to Ukrainian media reports, a meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron is on the agenda as well.
Image: Presidency of Ukraine/picture alliance
Russian citizens on Ukrainian soil
By international law, the renegade areas belong to Ukraine. However, some 400,000 residents with Russian citizenship inhabit the zone. "To protect them," Moscow announced on Friday, the Kremlin would take action. White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki, meanwhile, said that "Russia now has more troops on the border with Ukraine than at any time since 2014."
Image: Alexander Usenko/AA/picture alliance
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On Monday, Ukraine's military reported one more serviceman killed, bringing the total to 28 this year.
The White House has said the number of Russian soldiers there was now greater than at any time since 2014. Diplomatic efforts to broker a truce or reinforce the existing Minsk accord have led nowhere.
Kyiv seeks talks to end fighting
A spokeswoman for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told The Associated Press on Monday that Kyiv had asked for talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin but had received no response.
But Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Monday that he had not seen any requests from Zelenskyy "in recent days."
The Ukrainian leader is expected to head to Paris soon for talks on the buildup with French President Emmanuel Macron, Ukrainian officials said.
It comes after German Chancellor Angela Merkel held a phone call with President Putin urging him to ease tensions between Moscow and Kyiv last week.
