Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) Secretary-General Stanislav Zas said on Wednesday the alliance hopes the parties to the current standoff over Ukraine will reach acceptable solutions to stop the deployment of military activities
UNITED NATIONS (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 16th February, 2022) Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) Secretary-General Stanislav Zas said on Wednesday the alliance hopes the parties to the current standoff over Ukraine will reach acceptable solutions to stop the deployment of military activities.
Zas said the expansion of troop formations, military activities near the western borders of CSTO member states, coupled with a lack of settlement in eastern Ukraine, has led to the situation in Eastern Europe on the verge of military hostilities.
"We very much trust that the parties and the negotiation process will be able to find acceptable solutions to the problem and to stop the deployment of military activities," Zas said at a UN Security Council meeting.
Ukraine and several Western countries have been accusing Russia of a military build-up along the Ukrainian border in an alleged preparation of an invasion. Russia has rejected these accusations, saying that it was not planning to attack any country, including Ukraine.
However, Russia has warned that NATO's plans to expand further eastward represent a direct threat to its national security. Russia has also said the United States and its allies' supplying lethal weapons to Ukraine worsens the security situation as it encourages Kiev to take military action against the breakaway Donbas region.
On Tuesday, Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said Russia was withdrawing some forces away from the border with Ukraine and Crimea after they completed their military exercises there.
