Psaki accuses Russian Federation of preparing an “offensive” on Ukraine

White House press secretary Jen Psaki said that Russia allegedly continues “aggressive actions” near the Ukrainian borders, Interfax writes.

Earlier, Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council (NSDC) of Ukraine Oleksiy Danilov said that at present there is no reason to believe that Russia is allegedly preparing an “attack” on Ukrainian territory. However, Psaki chose not to agree with him.

“No one can recognize the thoughts of Vladimir Putin, the Russian leadership, but what we have seen is various forms of preparation, including the deployment of one hundred thousand troops on the border, belligerent rhetoric and other actions […] We definitely see aggressive actions and preparations for action at the border,” a White House spokeswoman said during a briefing.

In recent months, foreign media have been circulating reports that Russia is allegedly preparing an “attack” on the territory of Ukraine and is gathering troops to the borders. Press Secretary of the President of the Russian Federation Dmitry Peskov stressed that Moscow moves troops exclusively on its territory and does not threaten anyone. According to him, such messages are “empty and unfounded escalation of tension.”