Germany’s Merkel, Ukraine’s Zelenskiy discusses situation on Ukraine’s, EU’s borders

BERLIN (Reuters) – German Chancellor Angela Merkel discussed the security situation on Ukraine’s border with Russia with President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, assuring him of her support for Ukraine’s independence and territorial integrity, her spokesperson said.

They also discussed the situations on Belarus’s borders with Ukraine and the European Union, spokesperson Steffen Seibert said on Twitter, adding that any attempt to undermine Ukraine’s independence “would not go without consequences”.

Russian forces have been massing in large numbers on the eastern border of Ukraine, which is also battling Moscow-backed separatists who control part of its territory in the east.