Ukrainian civilians train to defend land as Putin says 'US trying to drag Russia into war'

Russia’s President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday accused the United States of trying to draw his country into a war in Ukraine. In his first significant comments on the ongoing crisis, the Kremlin leader said that America's goal was to use a confrontation as a pretext to impose more sanctions on Russia. Speaking at a news conference following a meeting in Kremlin with Hungarian PM Viktor Orban, Putin said that the US was ignoring Russia’s concerns about NATO alliance forces in Europe. 

Notably, tensions are high over a Russian troop build-up close to Ukraine’s border. In recent weeks, Russia has moved about 100,000 troops - equipped with tanks, artillery, ammunition and air power - to Ukraine’s border. However, Moscow continues to deny Western accusations that it is planning an invasion. Instead, it has accused the Ukrainian government of failing to implement an international deal to restore peace to the east. 

On Tuesday, speaking after talks with Hungarian PM in Kremlin, Putin said, “It seems to me that the United States is not so much concerned about the security of Ukraine... but its main task is to contain Russia's development. In this sense, Ukraine itself is just a tool to reach this goal."

He added that the West has “conned” Russia by reneging on its promises in the early 1990s that NATO would not expand eastward. Putin also went on to say that the US has ignored Moscow’s concerns in its response to Russian demands for legally binding security guarantees, including a block on NATO’s further expansion to the east. He suggested that if Kyiv is granted its wish to join the military alliance, it could drag the other members into a war with Russia. 

"Imagine that Ukraine is a NATO member and a military operation [to regain Crimea] begins," the Russian leader said, adding: "What - are we going to fight with NATO? Has anyone thought about this? It seems like they haven't."

Ukrainian civilians train for possible war 

Meanwhile, as Russia continues to send mixed signals, CBS News reported that Ukrainians are determined to defend their homeland. As per the media outlet, even though Ukrainians are massively outgunned and outnumbered by Russia, thousands of Ukrainian civilians have joined defence units. They have been training to help fight off a hypothetical Russian attack. 

"I know Russians very well. If you want peace, you should be prepared for war,” Oleksei Vasilchenko, a defence unit volunteer, told CBS News. 

As per reports, the defence unit volunteers in Ukraine include everyone from urban professionals to military veterans. Several people are only armed with plywood rifles. However, they continue to prepare for a possible Russian invasion. Russia's hardware, on the other hand, is impressive. Putin's forces have even moved fighter jets, missile systems and about 5,000 troops into Belarus, an ally and neighbour that sits on Ukraine's northern border.

(Image: AP)