Russia blasts troop moves as Macron engages Putin

Bloomberg

Russia said it was destructive for President Joe Biden to move additional troops to Europe and station more along Nato’s eastern flank, as French President Emmanuel Macron prepares for his third call in a week with Russian President Vladimir Putin to discuss Ukraine.
Putin is expected to speak to reporters Thursday after meeting with Argentinian President Alberto Fernandez, a day after the Pentagon said about 2,000 soldiers will travel from the US to Europe in the coming days. Another 1,000 troops based in Germany will be deployed in Romania.
Russia has decried the presence of Nato troops near Russian borders, even as Moscow has continued its buildup of forces near Ukraine to well over 100,000. Western officials continue to warn of punishing economic sanctions if Russia invades Ukraine, which the Kremlin denies it plans to do.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov accused the US of “fueling tensions” with its decision to deploy more troops to eastern Europe.
“Russia’s concern in this situation is quite understandable,” he told a conference call. “Just as are any moves taken by Russia to ensure its own security.” He didn’t specify what steps Russia might take in response to the deployments.
Nato estimates that some 30,000 Russian combat troops are being deployed to Belarus ahead of exercises there, the alliance’s chief, Jens Stoltenberg, said at a news conference, calling it the “biggest Russian deployment there since the Cold War.” He added that the Russian deployment includes a wide range of military capabilities with Spetsnaz special operation forces, fighter jets including SU-35s, Iskander dual-capable missiles and S-400 air defense systems.
Russia says the exercises are routine and defensive and that they don’t violate any international agreements.
Latvia will deliver anti-aircraft Stinger missiles to Ukraine “very soon” Defense Minister Artis Pabriks said at a Riga news conference with his Canadian counterpart, Anita Anand. Canada, which leads the multinational Nato battalion in Latvia, is “examining options to reinforce eastern Europe” Anand said. Any decision will come after discussions with the defense ministry staff and the government, she added.
At the same time, Macron is continuing his active diplomatic role in the crisis, preparing for his third call with Putin in less than a week.
The French and Russian leaders were set to speak Thursday evening, the Elysee palace said in a statement. Macron, who spoke with US President Joe Biden Wednesday night, was also supposed to speak Thursday with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and Poland’s Andrzej Duda of Poland.
Macron started his term five years ago promoting a renewed partnership with Russia and has stepped up his activity with France holding the rotating EU presidency.