Moscow on Friday accused
Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE)
observers in south-eastern Ukraine of "helping and supporting
only one side in the conflict... the Kiev authorities".
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, meanwhile, said
in an interview with Italian daily newspaper Corriere della Sera
that NATO supports Ukrainian sovereignty and will continue to
sustain that position.
Stoltenberg said Russia is conducting a significant military
build-up in eastern Ukraine and along the Ukrainian border,
amassing tanks, armored cars, cannons, anti-aircraft batteries,
and trucks.
"We're convinced this conflict can't have a military
solution. We're asking Russia to respect the Ukrainian border
and not support separatists, because that could threaten the
ceasefire," Stoltenberg said.
The head of NATO, who took office last month, said that the
agency has quadrupled its operations and patrolling activities
over the last year, compared to Russia's tripling of its
military actions since 2013.
"We've reinforced our Response Force, which today is at its
highest levels since the time of the Cold War, and is capable of
intervening anywhere on short notice," Stoltenberg said.
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