The presidents of Russia and the US may hold talks in the format of a videoconference early next week, amid fears of a large Russian military presence in the Donbas region. As reported by the Russian daily “Kommersant” newspaper the date is set for December 7.
The US President will attempt to de-escalate tensions after Russia’s foreign minister warns of a “nightmare scenario” in eastern Europe. The high-profile bilateral talks come after Anthony Blinken and Sergei Lavrov clashed over Ukraine on Thursday.
Although the US warned Russia that it must end its military build-up, Russia’s Foreign Minister claimed that Washington is at risk of taking Europe back to the “nightmare” of a military conflict.
On Thursday, Minister Lavrov claimed NATO was refusing to de-escalate tensions to prevent a possible conflict.
Speaking at the conference in Stockholm, he said that “the Alliance’s military infrastructure is being irresponsibly brought closer to Russia’s borders in Romania and Poland, deploying an anti-missile defence system that can be used as a striking complex”.
Meanwhile, in recent days Russia provided Belarus with the S-400 Triumf anti-aircraft and anti-missile mobile system, supposedly under training purposes. However, the Belarusian dictator announced that it is not a training version but a “combat system”.