Berlin. November 15th. INTERFAX - The foreign ministers of Germany and France called on Kiev to exercise restraint in connection with the movement of Russian troops near the Ukrainian border, the ministers of the two countries said in a statement.
"We called on Ukraine to maintain a restrained position," reads a statement released on Monday following a meeting of ministers with their Ukrainian counterpart held in Brussels.
Earlier, Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said that the United States is concerned about the movement of Russian troops near the border with Ukraine and calls on Moscow to clarify its intentions.
Bloomberg previously reported that "the United States, along with its European Union allies, are raising the alarm that Russia may be weighing a potential invasion of Ukraine, as tensions between Moscow and the bloc escalate over migrants and energy supplies."
"Washington is closely monitoring the build-up of Russian troops near the border with Ukraine, US officials have informed their EU colleagues of their concerns about a possible military operation, according to many sources familiar with the matter," the agency reported.
It is believed that the estimates are based on information that the US has not yet shared with European governments, which should happen before any decision on a collective response is made, the report says.
Meanwhile, the State Border Service of Ukraine does not note the movement of Russian equipment and military personnel directly at the country's borders, service representative Andriy Demchenko said earlier on Monday.
"Directly near the border, we do not record any movement of equipment or military of a neighboring country. If any actions are taking place, they can take place dozens or even hundreds of kilometers from the state border," he said on the Ukraine 24 TV channel.
