Kremlin statements David Cameron, the British Foreign Secretary, and Emmanuel Macron, the French President, directly involved in the campaign in Ukraine, called Russia’s occupation of the territory and described it as “dangerous”.
Dmitri Pskov, Kremlin spokesman, said at a press conference on Friday, May 14: “This escalation of tension is directly related to the conflict in Ukraine, which could be a potential threat to European security and the entire European security structure.”
Pskov added: “We are witnessing a dangerous escalation of tension in official statements. This matter has caused me to be monitored.”
British Foreign Secretary David Cameron told Reuters on Thursday during his visit to Kiev that Ukraine has the right to attack in self-defense.
“As Russia is attacking inside Ukraine, you can fully understand why Ukraine feels it has to be satisfied that it is defending itself,” Cameron said.
During this trip, Cameron promised to pay 3.7 billion dollars in annual military aid and said on Thursday that London has no objection to using its weapons inside Russia.
Maria Zakharova, the spokeswoman of the Russian Foreign Ministry, said at this press conference: “This is the first time that a Western politician will openly admit what has long been known to most countries of the world.”
He added that the West is waging a secret war against Russia with the help of Ukrainians.
Zakharova said that if Ukraine attacks Russia with British weapons, Russia will respond.
Macron also said in a separate interview on Thursday that he will not reject sending troops to Ukraine, a move that Russia says will lead to a direct and dangerous escalation of tensions in the region.
In an interview with the Paris newspaper, the President of France said that under special circumstances, there may be a need for a ground operation by Western countries.
Macron’s comments were met with a strong reaction from Vladimir Putin, the President of Russia, and Putin warned the West that a direct conflict between Russia and NATO led by the United States would mean that the world is on the verge of World War III.
Zakharova also said on Friday that Russia is ready to “seriously” consider Ukraine’s peace proposals based on “existing facts” and Moscow’s security monitoring, and added that Ukraine should commit to remain neutral from a military point of view in the future.
The conditions are similar to Moscow’s previous conditions, which Ukraine has rejected several times.
Russia also warned on Friday that if Ukraine attacks Crimea or the Crimean bridge that connects the peninsula with southern Russia, Russia will face a “retaliatory attack”.
Zakharova said at this meeting: “The Crimean bridge is under threat once again. The planned attack on it, if it is hard to believe, is now being carried out openly, with open courage and absolute support, directly and shamelessly by the West.”
Moscow says that it is planning an attack on this bridge if it believes that Ukraine has recently discovered the long-range tactical missiles from the United States.
But Kaif says that if the construction of this bridge and road are used by Russia to transfer troops and weapons to Ukraine, it is illegal. Russia annexed Crimea in 2014.
Crimea was part of the Russian Empire from 1783 until Moscow gave it to the then Socialist Republic of Ukraine in 1954. Moscow now says that the decision was a mistake.