Zee Media Bureau/Supriya Jha
Moscow: Press Secretary of Russian President Vladimir Putin on Sunday agreed to the fact that Russian troops were deployed close to the Ukrainian border in wake of the situation there.
Putin`s Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov added that the US threat of sanctions agaist Russia was unacceptable as Moscow was not the only entity responsible for implementing a deal to de-escaate the situation in eastrn Ukrainian cities.
"Our troops are deployed in various regions, there are troops near the Ukrainian border too, some permanently, others sent as reinforcement against the backdrop of what is happening in Ukraine proper," a local Russian news site quoted Peskov.
He however added that the Russian troops build-up at the border wasn`t meant to have any impact on the events in eastern pro-Russian regions of Ukraine.
After a deal was hammered out yesterday in Geneva by the US, Ukraine, the EU and Russia, that called for disarming of the armed groups occupying municipal buildings in eastern Ukrainin towns, Moscow seemed to shy away from the onus of implementing the deal, saying it was not solely responsible.
Speaking on a Russian channel on Friday, Peskov said that US warnings did nnot go down well with the atmosphere of dialogue and sanctions` threat was absolutely unacceptable.
"One cannot treat Russia like it is a shameful student, and brandish a piece of paper on which we put crosses next to the duties it has accomplished," the AFP quoted Peskov as saying on Rosiya I channel.
The Russian remarks came after the US today reiterated sanctions` threat agains Mosow in case the deal was not followed in reality.
The White House on Friday warned Russia would face tougher sanctions if it failed to abide by the deal ortried to send Russian forces into eastern Ukraine.
US President Barack Obama`s national security adviser, Susan Rice added that the sanctions “could include targeting very significant sectors of the Russian economy".
She said Washington was watching very closely to see whether Russia met its obligations to use its influence to get pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine to disarm and abandon public buildings they had seized.
Geneva talks that came across as the best diplomatic effort so far over Ukraine crisis with all sides agreeing to resolve the situation, may not fetch the results on ground.
The fears continued as separatists lodged in Ukraine`s eastern cities refused to budge from their occupied buildings.
Ukraine has been in the throes of crisis since Viktor`s Yanukovych was ousted in Feb, following a gory crackdown by the riot police that killed dozens. After that tensions escalated in Crimea, which led to Russian annexation.
A similar wave seems to have crept in other eastern parts of Ukraine which are majorly pro-Russian.
