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| - President Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday accused Moscow of building up troops on Ukraine's border and his top ministers discussed the escalating security situation with Western allies. He spoke after Ukrainian and US officials this week reported Russian troop movement in annexed Crimea and on the Russian-Ukrainian border, near territories controlled by Moscow-backed separatists. "Muscle-flexing in the form of military exercises and possible provocations along the border are traditional Russian games," Zelensky said in a statement. He accused Moscow of seeking to create "a threatening atmosphere" as Kiev hopes to resume a ceasefire brokered last year. This week, Moscow and Kiev blamed each other for a rise in violence between government forces and Kremlin-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine, which has undermined the ceasefire. Zelensky said 20 Ukrainian servicemen had been killed and 57 wounded since the start of the year. The military announced Thursday that a Ukrainian soldier was wounded in an attack it blamed on separatists. On Thursday, US Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin called his Ukrainian counterpart Andriy Taran, the Ukrainian ministry said, adding that Washington said it would "not leave Ukraine alone in the event of escalating Russian aggression". And Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba discussed the "aggravation by the Russian Federation of the security situation" on the frontline with his Canadian counterpart Marc Garneau. Ukraine's military intelligence accused Russia of preparing to "expand its military presence" in separatist-controlled eastern Donetsk and Lugansk regions. In a statement, the intelligence service said it "does not rule out" an attempt by Russian forces to move "deep into Ukrainian territory". Moscow has repeatedly denied sending troops and arms to buttress the separatists and Russian President Vladimir Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov stressed on Thursday that Moscow is at liberty to move troops across its territory. "The Russian Federation moves its armed forces within its territory at its discretion," Peskov told reporters, but he did not directly confirm a troop buildup on the Ukrainian border. He added that "it should not worry anyone and does not pose a threat to anyone". "As for the participation of Russian troops in the armed conflict on the territory of Ukraine, Russian troops have never taken part in it," he said. "And (they) are not doing it now". The war in eastern Ukraine broke out in 2014 when Russia annexed the Crimean peninsula following a bloody uprising that ousted Ukraine's Kremlin-friendly president Viktor Yanukovych. On Wednesday, the Pentagon said US forces in Europe had raised their alert status following the "recent escalations of Russian aggression in eastern Ukraine". Also on Wednesday, Mark Milley, chairman the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, spoke with his Russian counterpart Valery Gerasimov and Ruslan Khomchak, chief of the general staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. Khomchak said this week that 28,000 separatist fighters and "more than 2,000 Russian military instructors and advisers" are currently stationed in eastern Ukraine. On Thursday, deputy head of Zelensky's office Roman Mashovets called for joint drills with NATO forces to "help stabilise the security situation in the region". Zelensky was elected in 2019 promising to end the years-long conflict, but critics say a shaky ceasefire was his only tangible achievement. Talks with Putin in Paris in December 2019 brought the sides no closer to a lasting settlement. The fighting has claimed more than 13,000 lives since 2014, according to the United Nations. acl-dg/as/bp
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