Western fears of wider confrontation have spiraled after NATO said Russia had sent troops to fight in Ukraine and funneled huge amounts of heavy weaponry to the pro-Kremlin rebels.
"We condemn in the strongest terms Russia's continued disregard of its international obligations," NATO chief Anders Fogh Rasmussen said after an emergency meeting of the alliance on the crisis.
"We urge Russia to cease its illegal military actions, stop its support to armed separatists, and take immediate and verifiable steps toward de-escalation of this grave crisis."
Rasmussen also said NATO was not closing the door to Ukraine's possible membership of the transatlantic alliance after the government said it wanted to join.
Ukraine's Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk said earlier that the government was seeking to join NATO and would submit a bill to parliament to end the country's official "non-bloc" policy.
The bill, if passed, would forbid Ukraine from taking a decision on membership in "any other economic, political, or other unions" that would prevent it from eventually joining Western bodies such as the EU or NATO.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said Friday that Russia has no desire to get involved in large-scale conflicts, but should be able to respond to any threat.
The new rebel advance has raised fears that the Kremlin could be seeking to create a land corridor between Russia and Crimea.
"Russia has deliberately and repeatedly violated the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine, and the new images of Russian forces inside Ukraine make that plain for the world to see," US President Barack Obama said Thursday.
"This ongoing Russian incursion into Ukraine will only bring more costs and consequences for Russia."
Top rebel leader Alexander Zakharchenko, who has said the Russian troops in Ukraine were "on holiday," told Russian television that his men would be willing to let government troops withdraw if they give up their weapons.
According to new UN figures, almost 2,600 people have been killed since mid-April, and well over 400,000 have fled their homes.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel has said European leaders would discuss possible new measures against Moscow at a summit in Brussels on Saturday.
- At an emergency UN Security Council meeting on Thursday, US envoy Samantha Power demanded that Russia "stop lying."
- "We see Russia's actions for what they are: a deliberate effort to support and now fight alongside illegal separatists in another sovereign country," said Power.
Kiev said Thursday that Russian soldiers had seized control of a key southeastern border town and a string of villages, with fears that the rebels could threaten the government-held port town of Mariupol.
According to the Associated Press (AP), rebel fighters Friday held firm control of the strategic coastal town of Novoazovsk.
The AP said its reporters saw at least half a dozen tanks in the town of 12,000 people, bearing the flags of Novorossiya, the would-be state proclaimed by rebels in Donetsk and Lugansk. None of the tanks bore Russian markings, but ready-made meals seen near one of the tanks carried Russian army markings.
Source:Agencies-Global Times
29-30/8/14
--
-
Related:
Russia’s UN Envoy Blames Escalation in Ukraine on Kiev’s War Against Own People
UK warns Russia over 'incursions' into Ukraine / NATO releases satellite imagery showing Russian combat troops inside Ukraine (+video)
video: NATO Secretary General - Statement after the extraordinary meeting of the NATO-Ukraine Commission
GR
FR
DE
ES
IT
RU
EU
Ukraine mulls abandoning non-aligned status...
ReplyDeleteUkrainian Prime Minister Arseny Yatsenyuk on Friday said that his government sent a bill to the parliament, urging cancellation of Ukraine's non-aligned status to allow the country to join military alliances.
"In accordance with the decision of the National Security and Defense Council, the government introduced the bill to abolish the non-block status of Ukraine and restore Ukraine's course towards NATO membership," Yatsenyuk told a cabinet meeting.
Yatsenyuk urged the parliament to hold consultations over the bill "without delay" .
In March 2010, the parliament approved the law which bars Ukraine's membership in any military blocs but allows cooperation.
Ukraine and NATO established their partnership in 1991, shortly after Kiev gained its independence from the Soviet Union. Although, Ukraine is not a member of NATO, is closely cooperates with the 28-nation alliance, actively participating in Partnership for Peace initiatives.
http://www.globaltimes.cn/content/878996.shtml
NATO: Russia supplying Ukraine rebels tanks....
ReplyDeleteNATO chief says Moscow has continued giving pro-Kremlin rebels military aid, including rocket launchers and artillery.
Russia has continued to supply pro-Kremlin separatists in Ukraine with tanks, armoured vehicles, rocket launchers and artillery, NATO's Secretary General has said, echoing comments by Western leaders that the separatists seeking independence are being aided militarily by Moscow.
Anders Fogh Rasmussen said on Friday that Russian troops had also "fired on Ukraine from both Russian territory and within Ukraine itself".
"Russia continues to maintain thousands of combat-ready troops close to Ukraine's borders," Rasmussen said in Brussels.
"Despite Moscow's hollow denials, it is now clear that Russian troops and equipment have illegally crossed the border into eastern and south-eastern Ukraine.
"This is not an isolated action, but part of a dangerous pattern over many months to destabilise Ukraine as a sovereign nation."
Russia denies intervening in Ukraine by arming separatist rebels or sending soldiers across the border into the cities of Donetsk and Luhansk.....................http://www.aljazeera.com/news/europe/2014/08/nato-russia-supplying-ukraine-rebels-tanks-2014829134612258605.html