Russia accused the US on Thursday of deploying military trainers in the combat zone in east Ukraine in a new war of words after Washington said Moscow was engaged in a military build-up in the war-torn region.
The statement from Moscow came hours after the US said Russia was breaching a six-week-old ceasefire deal in eastern Ukraine. Washington said Russia was stepping up its military involvement, including complex training exercises and the deployment of air defence systems near the frontline.
In its public rebuke, Washington warned of military manoeuvres that could presage a Moscow-backed separatist offensive, casting a shadow over hopes of a European-brokered truce in Minsk holding through the summer.