Russia must withdraw the troops it sent to Ukraine and the border with the east of that neighbouring country. That said, NATO chief executive Jens Stoltenberg on Tuesday, before a meeting that NATO ministers of Defense and Foreign Affairs will hold on Wednesday.
The Secretary-General is demanding that Moscow stop its “provocations” and immediately de-escalate. The G7 countries had already issued a similar call on Monday.
The NATO boss made his statements at a press conference at Brussels’ headquarters with Dmytro Kuleba, the Ukrainian foreign minister. He said his country is looking for a diplomatic solution. He also called for more sanctions against Russia and asked for military help to stem Russian “aggression”.
Stoltenberg spoke of the most significant military build-up since Russia annexed the Ukrainian Crimea peninsula in 2014. According to Ukraine, 80,000 soldiers have gathered in Crimea and on the border with eastern Ukraine, where pro-Russian separatists have declared their own republics.
Ukraine would like to join the western military alliance. It is NATO that decides on that, said Stoltenberg. He noted that Russia is trying to recreate a sphere of influence in order to control what its neighbours do.
Meanwhile, two US naval ships are on their way to the Black Sea, which Russian Deputy Secretary of State Sergei Ryabkov described as a provocation. The risk of incidents is high, he says. The minister also denounced the US arms deliveries to Kiev. Ryabkov said Moscow continues to do everything it can to protect residents of the Donbass region of eastern Ukraine.
