“The war in nothing more than a war of territorial conquest”, US Department of State Spokesperson Ned Price said, commenting on the statement of Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov that Russia’s military targets now go beyond the so-called People’s Republic of Donetsk and Luhansk. Russia’s expanded military focus in Ukraine to annex parts of the country beyond the eastern Donbas region is what the Biden administration has warned about, said Ned Price. The forcible annexation of territories is a flagrant violation of the UN charter. We will continue to support Ukraine’s sovereignty, the Spokesman of the U.S. Department of State said further.  

Germany’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Annalena Baerbock also responded to Sergey Lavrov’s threats. “Moscow’s justification for focusing on territory beyond the Donbass region does not stack up”. In an interview for DW, Baerbock said that Moscow kept changing its arguments, adding that it was just “new propaganda from the Russian side”.

The fourth meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group (Ramstein-4) took place online. “Russia thinks that it can outlast Ukraine- and outlast us. But that is just the latest in Russia’s string of miscalculations. We stand united in or support. We stand firm in our commitment. And we will rise to this occasion. We will continue to provide historic levels of security assistance to help Ukraine defend itself. The Contact Group continues to make a real difference in real time. And that is a testament to our collective resolve to stand up to Russia’s assault on democracy, sovereignty and the rules-based international order that keeps us all secure”, United States Secretary of Defense Lloyd L. Austin said at the meeting.