Moscow ordered new military exercises on its shared border with Ukraine prompting the US to warn Russia against making an “expensive mistake”.
US Secretary of State John Kerry warned that Russia´s refusal to take any steps to end the crisis in Ukraine would prove costly, saying, “the window for Moscow to change course was closing.”
He accused Moscow of a “full-throated effort to actively sabotage the democratic process through gross external intimidation” and described new Russian military exercises on the border of Ukraine on Thursday as “threatening”.
“Let me be clear: if Russia continues in this direction it will not just be a grave mistake, it will be an expensive mistake,” the veteran diplomat said, adding “we are ready to act” as Washington tees up new economic sanctions against Moscow.
Russia ordered the new military exercises on its border with Ukraine Thursday after Kiev launched a deadly assault against pro-Kremlin rebels occupying the flashpoint town of Slavyansk, in a marked escalation of the crisis. The assault led to multiple casualties amongst the pro Russian insurgents.
