Ukraine, Kfortov: “Russian soldiers at the borders not to invade but as a signal to the West”

The Russian military deployment on the border with Ukraine does not indicate the possibility of “an invasion but rather a signal” that must be taken seriously, said Andrei Kfortov, director general of the Council for International Relations in Russia, in his speech to the Transatlantic Forum on Russia organized today in Rome by the American Studies Center, Aspen Institute Italia and the European Council on Foreign Relations. Russia, he stressed, is concerned about the possible use of Ukrainian military force to cope with the situation in Donbass and is signaling to the West that the ‘business as usual’ situation cannot work, he added.