The Ukrainian ambassador to Australia says Russia is violating international law and threatening its neighbours by amassing troops along its border.
Ukraine’s ambassador to Australia has accused his Russian counterpart of making “false” and “strange” arguments to justify the build-up of Russian troops on the country’s border.
The comments are in response to a rare press conference held by Russia’s ambassador to Australia Dr Alexey Pavlovsky last Friday, where he said the troops were “not a threat” but a “warning” to Ukraine.
The massing of more than 100,000 Russian troops near the division between the two countries has sparked fears of a potential invasion, despite repeated denials from Moscow.
Ukraine’s ambassador to Australia Volodymyr Shalkivskyi released a statement on Sunday disputing his Russian counterpart’s assessment of the situation.
“The Russian Ambassador falsely portrays his country as a victim of the Western propaganda and the Russian aggressive actions as a forced response to the alleged aggressive intentions of Ukraine and our international partners,” he said.
“In fact, this is Russia who violates norms of the international law and threatens its neighbours.”
During his press conference last Friday - an unusual public intervention for a diplomatic official - Mr Pavlovsky defended Russia’s actions, claiming it’s not an aggressor as troops remain within Russian territory.
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