Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has sounded the alarm, saying that Russia could claim that it needs to protect its citizens in the war-torn Donbass as an excuse for military action beyond its borders.
Zelensky’s office published the claim on its website on Tuesday, after a meeting between the Ukrainian leader and a group of American senators. The US lawmakers’ visit was intended to reaffirm Washington’s commitment to Kiev as leaders from both countries have warned that they fear an imminent Russian invasion of its neighbor, an allegation that the Kremlin has repeatedly denied.
“The head of state brought attention to the fact that Russia continues to carry on an active campaign of granting passports to the population of our temporarily occupied territories, in an attempt to create a pretext for escalation under the guise of ‘protecting Russian citizens,’” the statement on the website read.