The White House and the government in Kiev are concerned about the Kremlin’s suggestion that Russian “peacekeepers” could be deployed to Ukraine.
In a phone call between Vice President Biden and Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko, both leaders expressed concern that Russian statements suggesting a role for their forces in Ukraine, according to a statement from the White House.
{mosads}The pair also expressed concern that Russian forces were directly engaging in the ongoing conflict between the Ukranian military and separatists within its border, citing reports that they had shot at Ukrainian troops from across the border.
The call came hours after Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel signaled concern about Russia’s military buildup along the border. U.S. officials have also signaled that they’re upset Moscow continues to provide rebels with weaponry. Earlier Wednesday, the Kremlin also announced it would match European and American sanctions with a ban on agricultural imports from any country that had imposed penalties on Moscow.
At a press conference earlier Wednesday, President Obama said he was encouraged economic sanctions were working as intended to impact the Russian economy.
“If you look at the markets, and you look at estimates in terms of capital flight, if you look at projections for Russian growth, what you’re seeing is that the economy has ground to a halt,” Obama said.
Still, Obama conceded that “the issue is not resolved yet” and that it would only be after Russian President Vladimir Putin had withdrawn support for the rebels and recognized Ukraine as an independent country that “we can say that the problems have truly been solved.”
Asked about a possible Russian invasion, the president said “we’re not there yet” but suggested such a move could lead to the U.S. providing Kiev with lethal aid.
“What we have been doing is providing a whole host of assistance packages to the Ukrainian government and to their military, and we will continue to work with them to evaluate on a day-by-day, week-by-week basis what exactly they need in order to be able to defend their country and to deal with the separatist elements that currently are being armed by Russia,” Obama said.