Ukraine calls for meeting with Russia amid tensions

Ukraine is calling for a meeting with Russia as tensions between the two countries rise, stoking fears in the U.S. and other allied nations of an armed conflict.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba announced the request for a meeting in a tweet on Sunday. He asked that Russia and all participating states gather within 48 hours to discuss “reinforcement & redeployment” on their border and in Crimea.

He said the appeal comes after Russia failed to respond to a request for a meeting in accordance with the Vienna Document, a treaty signed by 56 countries part of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) that is used to preserve military transparency throughout the continent, according to CNBC.

“Russia failed to respond to our request under the Vienna Document. Consequently, we take the next step. We request a meeting with Russia and all participating states within 48 hours to discuss its reinforcement & redeployment along our border & in temporarily occupied Crimea,” Kuleba wrote.

“If Russia is serious when it talks about the indivisibility of security in the OSCE space, it must fulfill its commitment to military transparency in order to de-escalate tensions and enhance security for all,” he added in a separate tweet.

Ukraine’s request for a meeting comes amid heightened tensions between Moscow and Kyiv and concerns in the U.S. and other allied countries that Russia is planning to invade Ukraine.

Russia has denied having any such plans despite amassing more than 100,000 troops near the Ukrainian border.

White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan told reporters on Friday that a Russian invasion of Ukraine could start “any day now.”

The two sides, along with NATO allies, have tried to find a diplomatic solution to the rising tensions, but no breakthroughs have apparently been achieved.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz is the latest international figure to try and broker a path forward between the two sides. Scholz traveled to Ukraine on Monday and is slated to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday, according to Reuters.