Moscow, NOV 13: Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Saturday that unscheduled NATO drills in the Black Sea posed a serious challenge for Moscow and that Russia had nothing to do with the crisis on close ally Belarus‘ border with the European Union.

In comments published on the Kremlin’s website, Putin said he hoped that Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko and German Chancellor Angela Merkel would speak directly about the crisis and that the migrants primarily wanted to go to Germany.

His comments came after Washington this week raised alarms over Russian military activities close to Ukraine‘s border.

US top diplomat Antony Blinken on Wednesday warned Russia against making another “serious mistake” on Ukraine as Washington sought clarity about troop movements near the border.

The EU on Friday said it was also concerned by Russian military activities close to Ukraine’s border. The 27-nation bloc said it was monitoring the situation with partners including the US and Britain.

A Pentagon spokesman said the Russian movement was “unusual in its size and scope.”

Ukraine has fought a war with pro-Moscow separatists in its eastern regions since 2014 when Russia seized the Crimea peninsula from Kiev.