Ukrinform
August 7, 2014
NATO urges Russia not to rattle saber near Ukraine
In happier times (file photo)
KYIV: NATO calls on Russia to withdraw its military from the border with Ukraine, Alliance chief Anders Fogh Rasmussen said at a press briefing in Kyiv on Thursday.
“I call on Russia to step back from the brink. Step back from the border. Do not use peacekeeping as an excuse for war-making,” Rasmussen said.
He also urged Russia to follow the genuine path to peace, to stop support for separatists, to pull back its troops from Ukraine’s border, and to engage in a sincere dialogue for a peaceful solution.
The NATO chief added that instead of de-escalating the conflict, Russia continues to destabilize Ukraine: “Russia’s support to the separatists continues. It has intensified in scale and sophistication. The downing of MH17 shows the tragic global consequences of that wreckless support. And Russia has massed large forces on the Ukrainian border, to shield the separatists and to use any pretext to intervene even further.”
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