Ukraine ‘ready to respond’ to Russian troop deployment, foreign minister says

Ukraine foreign minister on Sunday said his country is “ready to respond” to the deployment of Russian forces on his country’s eastern borders.

{mosads}Andrii Deshchytsia said on ABC’s “This Week” that the Ukrainian government is “trying to use all the peaceful diplomatic means” to stop the Russians but added that officials “are also ready to defend their homeland.”

“We are trying to use all the diplomatic measures and all the economic, financial and other sanctions, visa sanctions, to stop Russians not to do this, but it’s very difficult to keep people restrained, and they are patriots of their homeland and would be difficult for them just simply sit or stay and look at Russia invading their country,” Deshchytsia said.

One week ago, Deshchytsia said on “This Week” that chances of war were high. “They are growing,” he said on Sunday.

“I would say if you wanted to measure somehow, it’s becoming higher,” Deshchytsia said. “Because the problem is that Russians, and particularly the — Putin’s administration, Putin himself is not talking to the rest of the world; he doesn’t want to listen to the world, he doesn’t want to respond on the arguments … to de-escalate situation and stop invasion.”

“We don’t know what Putin has in his mind and what will be his decision. That’s why this situation is becoming even more explosive than it used to be a week ago.”