Today on “This Week,” the acting Ukrainian foreign minister, speaking exclusively with ABC’s Martha Raddatz, expressed deep concern about the buildup of Russian troops on the eastern border of Ukraine, saying that the chances of war were “becoming higher.”
“We are very much concerned about this development, the deployment of Russian troops on our eastern borders,” Ukraine’s Andrii Deshchytsia said on “This Week.” “We are ready to respond and, as you know, the Ukraine government is trying to use all the peaceful diplomatic means and diplomatic means to stop Russians but the people are also ready to defend their homeland.”
Deshchytsia said the issue had become “even more explosive” than a week ago when he was interviewed on “This Week, when he said the chance of war with Russia was “quite high.”
“I would say if you wanted to measure somehow, it’s becoming higher,” Deshchytsia said of the chance of war. “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 deescalate [the] situation and stop invasion. We don’t know what Putin has in his mind and what will be his decision.”
The acting foreign minister added that it would be difficult to ask Ukrainians living in the eastern region of the country to not respond militarily if Russians invade. Instead, he expressed hope that the issues could be solved diplomatically.
“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 [it] would be difficult for them just simply sit or stay and look at Russia invading their country,” Deshchytsia said.