The international community
should keep dialogue open with Moscow despite an escalation of
violence by pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine that on
Tuesday spurred a response from the interim government, Italian
Defence Minister Roberta Pinotti said at a European Union
defence ministers' meeting in Luxembourg.
"Italy's position, while firmly condemning actions that
cannot be approved, is that of not closing chinks of light for
dialogue," she said.
She said the "escalation of tensions" should not mar the
progress made in recent talks between NATO and Russia, although
the stand-off in eastern Ukraine "has de facto frozen the
possibility of joint operations that were very interesting".
Ukraine's acting president, Olexander Turchynov, on Tuesday
announced the start of an "anti-terrorist" operation against
pro-Russian activists in the east, starting near the large city
of Donetsk.
US President Barack Obama has urged Russian counterpart
Vladimir Putin to use his influence to make separatists in
Donetsk and other parts of eastern Ukraine stand down.
Putin denied that Russia was intervening in the crisis.
Pro-Russian rebels have seized buildings in about 10 towns
and cities across Ukraine's eastern provinces, which are
increasingly ethnically Russian the farther east you go and form
the heartland of Ukraine's heavy industry.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED © Copyright ANSA