NATO calls on Moscow to “immediately cease” its troop movements

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg on Tuesday called on Russia to end its military reinforcement at Ukraine’s borders and to stop supporting pro-Russian separatists in this country, during a meeting with the head of Ukrainian diplomacy.

“Russia’s massive military build-up is unwarranted, inexplicable and deeply worrying. Russia must put an end to this military reinforcement in Ukraine and around Ukraine, stop its provocations and stop any escalation immediately, ”he said during a press briefing.

Avoid the error of 2014

The head of Ukrainian diplomacy Dmytro Kuleba, who is due to meet his American counterpart Antony Blinken in Brussels at the beginning of the afternoon, called on NATO not to be “taken by surprise” by Russia and to provide “support”. very concrete ”to Ukraine.

“We must avoid the mistake made in 2014, when Russia launched rapid action in Donbass and Crimea while a large part of Westerners was thinking about a reaction,” he warned. “Nothing can be ruled out with Russia,” he stressed.

A pretext for an attack

Moscow on Tuesday warned NATO and the United States against the risk of turning Ukraine into a “powder keg” with the support given to strengthening Kiev’s defense capabilities.

Ukraine fears the Kremlin is looking for a pretext to attack it. Kiev accused Russia of massing more than 80,000 troops near its eastern border and in Crimea, annexed by Moscow in 2014, after pro-Westerners came to power in Kiev.

Dmytro Kuleba will present the situation to NATO members during a meeting of the NATO-Ukraine commission before his meeting scheduled at 2:00 p.m. with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken.