Russia seized Crimea from Ukraine in 2014 and fighting has increased in recent weeks in eastern Ukraine, where government forces have battled Russian-backed separatists in a seven-year conflict that Kyiv says has killed 14,000 people. "The president voiced our concerns over the sudden Russian military build-up in occupied Crimea and on Ukraine’s borders, and called on Russia to de-escalate tensions," it said. It confirmed Biden had proposed a high level meeting but did not indicate how the Russian leader responded. Earlier on Tuesday, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, in Brussels for talks with NATO leaders and Ukraine's foreign minister, echoed Biden, saying Washington stood firmly behind Ukraine. "Russia must end this military build-up in and around Ukraine, stop its provocations and de-escalate immediately," Stoltenberg said at a news conference with Kuleba.

Source: bd News24 April 13, 2021 17:26 UTC