BERLIN, April 15 (NNN-AGENCIES) — German Chancellor Angela Merkel and US President Joe Biden called on Russia to pull back troops from the Ukrainian border to de-escalate the situation in the region, a German government spokesman said.
The United States and NATO allies have been alarmed by the large buildup of Russian troops near Ukraine and in Crimea, the peninsula that Moscow annexed from Kyiv in 2014.
Russia and Ukraine held simultaneous military drills on Wednesday as NATO foreign and defence ministers began emergency discussions on the massing of Russian troops near the Ukrainian border.
In their phone call, Merkel and Biden discussed the latest developments in eastern Ukraine and called on Russia to avoid any further escalation.
“The chancellor and the president agreed that Russia should reduce the latest troop reinforcements in order to de-escalate the situation,” government spokesman Steffen Seibert said.
The White House said in a statement that Biden and Merkel “expressed concern about the buildup of Russian troops on Ukraine’s borders and in occupied Crimea, and reaffirmed their support for Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity”.
White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Biden had spoken to Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday to stress the consequences of Russia’s activities.
Turkish diplomatic sources said on Wednesday that the United States had cancelled the deployment of two warships to the Black Sea.
The sources said the passage of the first ship through the Bosphorus due on Wednesday did not take place.
Anadolu state news agency said both deployments, scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday, have been cancelled with Ankara not yet informed of any possible rescheduling.
Last week Turkey announced that it had been informed through diplomatic channels that two US warships “will pass toward the Black Sea” and remain in the region until May 4.
There was no confirmation from Washington either of the planned deployments or of their cancellation. — NNN-AGENCIES