US responds to Shoigu’s statement on provocations with chemical in Donbas
US Defense Department spokesman John Kirby denied Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu's statement that US private military companies were preparing for provocations with chemical weapons in Donbas.
US Defense Department spokesman John Kirby denied Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu’s statement that US private military companies were preparing for provocations with chemical weapons in Donbas.
“Minister Shoigu’s statements are absolutely incorrect,” he said.
He added that “US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin did not discuss with his Russian counterpart the exacerbation of tension over Ukraine.”
“It has been confirmed that there are more than 120 members of American private military companies in the towns of Avdiivka and Brezhovskoye in the Ukrainian province of Donetsk,” Shoigu said during an expanded meeting of the Defense Ministry leadership in Moscow on Tuesday.
“Personnel of US military companies are preparing firing positions in residential buildings and socially important public facilities, and they are training Ukrainian special operations forces and extremist armed groups to carry out active combat actions,” he explained.
Shoigu added that “tanks containing unknown chemicals were delivered to the towns of Avdiivka and Krasnyi Lyman with the aim of being used in these provocations.”
Blinken: no meeting between Biden and Putin
It is worth noting that US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Sunday that a face-to-face meeting between President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin is "pretty unlikely".
"What we are looking to see from Russia -- and, again, not just us but allies and partners in Europe -- we're looking to see de-escalation," said Blinken.
"We're looking to see Russia pull back forces from the border. And we're looking to see Russia engage in good faith in diplomacy and diplomatic dialogue with the Europeans, with Ukraine to resolve the conflict in eastern Ukraine and to give Ukraine its borders back. That's what we're looking to see," he added.
It is worth mentioning that Washington's claims of Russian military mobilization on the border with Ukraine have been denied by the latter.
On Sunday, the Kremlin said that both Biden and Putin had agreed to more talks going forward during their video call.