Russia says it’s worried about Ukrainian military buildup

By VLADIMIR ISACHENKOV
Associated Press

MOSCOW (AP) — Russia has expressed concern about Ukraine’s military buildup near the area of the separatist conflict in the country’s east, a statement that comes amid Ukrainian and Western worries about an alleged plan by Moscow to invade its neighbor. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Wednesday that the concentration of Ukrainian troops looks “alarming.” Lavrov added that he was going to raise the issue during the Organization for Security and Cooperation of Europe’s ministerial meeting in Stockholm on Thursday. He again assailed Ukraine for failing to meet its obligations under a 2015 peace deal signed in Minsk that was brokered by France and Germany. The Russian Foreign Ministry said Lavrov was scheduled to meet with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken.