Russia concludes military exercises near Ukraine.. Mutual accusations of fueling the conflict and Kiev adheres to joining the West's consultations with Moscow

Ukraine affirmed on Saturday its desire for a ceasefire in the east of the country, and the need to participate in security consultations between Washington and the European Union with Moscow, while Russia concluded military exercises in areas adjacent to its border with Ukraine, amid mounting accusations of fueling the conflict between Kiev and Moscow.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that the situation in his country is still difficult, in light of what he called Russia's lack of commitment to withdraw its forces from the border with Ukraine.

This came during a meeting chaired by Zelensky via video circle, which included heads of parties in Ukraine and a number of members of the Senate and House of Representatives in the US Congress.

According to the Ukrainian presidential office, Zelensky stressed his desire for a ceasefire in eastern Ukraine, stressing the need to involve the United States of America in the peace process.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba had also called for his country to be involved in the consultations that bring together the United States, the European Union and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) in Russia.

Kuleba added that security in the region is at stake, declaring Kiev's support for dialogue between Washington, the Europeans, NATO and Russia to end the conflict.

The Ukrainian minister had informed the European Union of the necessity of his country's participation in any dialogue related to its security.

deterrence program

For his part, Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov asked his US counterpart Lloyd Austin to provide Kiev with high-tech anti-missile systems, according to the Wall Street Journal.

The newspaper quoted Ukrainian officials that their country needs a more robust program to deter any possible Russian attack, and that the White House is still studying the Ukrainian request.

And the "Wall Street Journal" quoted US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan as saying that Washington is assessing the military needs of Ukraine, and the extent of the Ukrainian army's ability to absorb new equipment.

Russian exercises

On the Russian side, the leadership of the Russian Southern Military District announced the conclusion of military exercises in the southern regions bordering the Ukrainian border, and in the Crimea.

The command said - in a statement - that more than 10,000 Russian soldiers returned to their positions after the end of the exercises, which lasted about a month, in which units from various sectors participated.

Russia's deployment of tens of thousands of its forces in northern, eastern and southern Ukraine has raised fears in Kiev and Western capitals that Moscow is planning a possible invasion, and Russia denies this, and says it wants guarantees from the West, including a pledge from NATO not to expand eastward towards the Russian border, because its security Threatened by the growing relations of Ukraine with the West.

mutual accusations

Politically, the Russian Foreign Ministry accused the Ukrainian authorities of not complying with the ceasefire agreement, and resorting to a military solution to the Donbass crisis.

On the other hand, the Ukrainian Foreign Minister said that deterrence is the correct way to de-escalate the Russian escalation.

This comes at a time when Russia has tested the "Tsirkon" missile, which exceeds the speed of sound by about 9 times.

serious accident

Meanwhile, the Russian Foreign Ministry said that the attack on the Russian consulate in the city of Lviv (western Ukraine) is a serious incident.

It considered the attack a result of what it called "anti-Russian hysteria in Ukraine, and incitement to hatred of Russia."

The ministry announced that it had summoned the Ukrainian Chargé d'Affairs to Russia, and lodged a strong protest with him against the background of the attack on the consulate.

violations

In the Luhansk region (eastern Ukraine), the mission monitored 84 ceasefire violations, including 45 explosions.

It also documented the obstruction of what it called "members of armed formations" the crossing of its members in the Luhansk region, while the mission's freedom of movement remained restricted by 4 checkpoints of armed formations in the Donetsk region.

In a report, the Monitoring Mission of the Organization of European Cooperation observed convoys of Russian trucks in non-government-controlled areas of Donetsk and Luhansk regions.