• Ukraine, Russia starts maxi military exercise in Crimea

  • Ukraine: Macron, Merkel and Zelensky ask Russia to withdraw troops from the border

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April 22, 2021 Russian President Vladimir Putin said he was ready to meet with his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelensky "at any time, if he wants to discuss bilateral relations". "If, on the other hand, he wants to discuss Donbass, then he should meet the leadership" of the separatist republics of Donetsk and Lugansk and only later with the Kremlin.



Zelensky had invited Putin to meet in Donbass, where pro-Russian separatists and the Ukrainian army have been fighting for seven years. Moscow has always denied its involvement and considers that in Eastern Ukraine a civil war.



Zelensky: withdrawal of Russian troops reduces tension

The Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelensky, said the announced withdrawal of Russian troops from the border "reduces tension", adding that Kiev will remain "vigilant".



"The reduction of troops on our border reduces the tension proportionally. Ukraine is always vigilant, but welcomes any steps to reduce the military presence and ease the tension in the Donbass," he wrote on Twitter. "Ukraine wants peace. We are grateful to international partners for their support. #StrongerTogether," he added.

The reduction of troops on our border proportionally reduces tension. 🇺🇦 is always vigilant, yet welcomes any steps to decrease the military presence & deescalate the situation in Donbas. Ukraine seeks peace. Grateful to international partners for their support #StrongerTogether

- Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) April 22, 2021



Major Russian maneuvers in Crimea

Meanwhile, Russia deploys more than 60 ships, over 10,000 soldiers, about 200 aircraft and 1,200 military vehicles in the Crimea.



The exercise saw the landing of over 2,000 paratroopers and 60 military vehicles in a show of force amid tensions with Ukraine. Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu is on a visit to the Moscow-annexed peninsula in 2014 to oversee military exercises amid mounting tensions with Kiev and its Western allies, who have expressed concern over the buildup of Russian troops at the border and exercises in the Crimea.



The maneuvers have been described as the largest since Russia annexed the Black Sea peninsula from Ukraine.