UNITED NATIONS (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 25th January, 2022) UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres would like to see an increase in diplomatic efforts and more dialogue as Russia-Ukraine tensions mount, spokesman Stephane Dujarric said on Monday.
"What the secretary-general would like to see is a diplomatic buildup, increasing number of dialogue and the reaffirmation by all (those) involved that there can only be a diplomatic solution," Dujarric told a press briefing.
He added that Guterres continues to be concerned about current tensions and appeals to all parties involved to take immediate steps to de-escalate and remain focused on the diplomatic process.
A new turn in the Ukraine crisis has taken shape over the past several months after Russia was accused of a troop build-up near the shared border and allegedly preparing for an invasion. Moscow has denied these accusations, pointing to NATO's military activity near Russian borders, which it deems a threat to its national security.
NATO has four multinational battalion-size battlegroups in Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland, as well as a forward-presence in Romania. As tensions have grown in the past days, the allies said they would boost their presence on the eastern border, including by sending fighter jets to Lithuania and Bulgaria.
