Head of Russia’s Security Council Nikolai Patrushev pushed back against reports about the country’s plans to attack Ukraine, calling such statements “ridiculous” despite growing tensions along the Ukrainian border.
“At this time, they’re saying that Russia threatens Ukraine — that’s completely ridiculous,” Patrushev stated, according to the Russian news agency Tass.
“We don’t want war and we don’t need it at all,” he said.
The official argued that the West was fear-mongering about the inevitability of a military conflict between Russia and Ukraine to meet its own objectives.
Russia has amassed around 130,000 troops along the Ukrainian border, causing fears of invasion. (RELATED: Russia Sends Medical Units To Front Lines At Ukrainian Border)
Russia dismisses claims it is ready to invade Ukraine as ‘ridiculous’ https://t.co/e73ZkRwgN4 pic.twitter.com/e9D9ZHkzbQ
— New York Post (@nypost) January 30, 2022
Ukrainian officials have also disagreed with the State Department’s order for American citizens to leave Ukraine in the face of the impending military aggression and the Biden administration’s warnings of a Russian attack taking place “at any point.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has lamented the West’s “panic” over the Russian invasion, which he said damaged the country’s economy.
The buildup of Russian forces along the Ukrainian border preceded Russian President Vladimir Putin’s demands from NATO to permanently close its doors for Ukraine and other countries in the post-Soviet region.
In a Wednesday written response to Putin’s requests, the U.S. refused to make any concessions on its previous position regarding Ukraine’s prospects of becoming a NATO member and the non-negotiability of allied deployments of troops in Eastern Europe, The Associated Press reported.