Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoygu has assured his US counterpart Chuck Hagel that Russian troops along the Russia-Ukraine border are there solely for exercise purposes and will not cross over into Ukrainian territory.
At a news conference on Thursday, Pentagon Press Secretary Adm. John Kirby said Shoygu gave this assurance to US Defense Secretary Hagel during an hour-long phone conversation between them.
"Secretary Hagel was clear, and he was firm: because Russian forces are in control of Crimea, they bear responsibility for what is happening there," American Forces Press Service quoted Kirby as saying. "He also pressed Minister Shoygu to explain Russian intentions with respect to forces they have aligned near Ukraine's eastern and southern borders," Kirby added.
Hagel reiterated the U.S. position that Russia should immediately work to de-escalate the tension and to restore Ukrainian territorial integrity, the press secretary said.
The call was "direct," and Hagel was "very direct about his concerns about the troops that are on the Russian side of the border, ... and he wanted a better accounting for what that was all about," he added.
Shoygu assured Hagel that Russian troops arrayed on the border "are there to conduct exercises only, that they have no intention of crossing the border into Ukraine, and that they would take no aggressive action," Kirby said. "The two leaders agreed to keep the dialogue open."
Thousands of Russian troops are along the border with Ukraine even before the Ukrainian autonomous region of Crimea accessed to Russia . Kirby would not go into specifics, saying that those wanting more information were welcome to get that information from the Russian Defense Ministry.
Kirby said U.S. officials are working through Ukrainian requests for assistance. "The focus of that review is on the nonlethal side of things, but it is very much still an active issue under consideration," he said.
The United States has agreed to provide packaged meals to Ukraine, as well as some medical supplies and uniforms.
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