Russia urged to pull troops from Ukraine border
NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen speaks to journalists prior to a Ministers of Defence Council meeting on April 15, 2014 at the EU Headquarters at the Kirchberg Conference Center in Luxembourg. AFP PHOTO / GEORGES GOBET
What you need to know:
- Rasmussen was to brief EU defence ministers meeting here on Nato measures to bolster alliance member states in eastern Europe where the Ukraine crisis has sparked fears Russia is seeking to re-establish its former sphere of influence.
Nato chief Anders Fogh Rasmussen on Tuesday urged Russia to de-escalate tensions over Ukraine and withdraw troops massed on the border with its Soviet-era satellite.
“I am deeply concerned by the latest developments in Ukraine,” Rasmussen said, citing the seizure of government buildings in the east of the country by pro-Moscow militias.
“I call on Russia to de-escalate the crisis, to pull back its troops ... to stop destabilising the situation and make clear it does not support the violent actions of pro-Russian separatists.”
“Russia should stop being part of the problem and start being part of the solution,” he said.
Rasmussen was to brief EU defence ministers meeting here on Nato measures to bolster alliance member states in eastern Europe where the Ukraine crisis has sparked fears Russia is seeking to re-establish its former sphere of influence.
The Nato chief stressed “we are not discussing military options.”
“We believe the right way forward is to find a political and diplomatic solution,” he added.
The United States, Nato’s lead military power, has deployed additional fighter aircraft to the Baltic states and Poland in recent weeks as the Ukraine crisis has unfolded.
