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Polish FM, US state secretary discuss Russian troop build-up near Ukraine

14.04.2021 07:45
Polish Foreign Minister Zbigniew Rau and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken discussed an ongoing Russian military build-up near Ukraine when they talked over the phone on Tuesday, according to the foreign ministry in Warsaw.
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Image:gov.pl

The Polish foreign ministry said in a statement that "the conversation focused on issues including NATO's response to Russia's activities in Ukraine."

It added that the two top diplomats voiced concern over "the concentration of Russian troops in the Donbas region and on the border with Ukraine.”

They "agreed on the need for continued support for Ukraine in the face of Russian aggression," the Polish foreign ministry also said.

The two also agreed that "preserving the territorial integrity of Ukraine is a matter of the utmost importance" and that the country's borders "cannot be questioned by anyone," according to the foreign ministry in Warsaw.

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg called on Russia on Tuesday to withdraw troops from Ukraine's eastern border in what the alliance says is Moscow's biggest build-up since 2014, ahead of an emergency meeting of allied foreign and defence ministers.

Blinken earlier this year said that Poland was a stalwart NATO ally and an invaluable partner for his country.

Blinken made that comment after a phone talk with Rau in late February when the two discussed Polish-American ties and plans to work together in Europe and beyond.

The Polish top diplomat in January sent his congratulations after Blinken was approved as the new US secretary of state under President Joe Biden.

(gs/pk)

Source: PAPgov.pl