NATO warns of risk of heavy fighting:
NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg has warned there is still a risk of heavy fighting in Ukraine and urged Moscow to halt its support for separatists.
Stoltenberg was speaking on June 25 in Brussels at the opening of the NATO-Ukraine Council, which the alliance set up to coordinate relations with nonmember Kyiv after the end of the Cold War.
A February cease-fire brokered in Minsk by France and Germany has largely held but in recent weeks there has been an upsurge in fighting, threatening to undo the accord as the death toll tops 6,500.
"Cease-fire violations persist. There is still a risk of a return to heavy fighting," Stoltenberg said. "Russia continues to support the separatists with training, weapons, and soldiers; it has a large number of forces stationed on it's border with Ukraine."
Russia denies that it is directly involved in the conflict.
Stoltenberg said NATO remained committed to Ukraine's territorial integrity and sovereignty, and would not recognize Russia's "illegal and illegitimate annexation of Crimea." (Reuters, AFP)
Here's today's map of the military situation in eastern Ukraine, according to the National Security and Defense Council:
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg speaking today at a press conference during the second day of a NATO defense ministers meeting in Brussels:
"NATO is stepping up its practical support for Ukraine. NATO supports Ukraine’s reforms practically with funding and expert advice. The five NATO trust funds are up and running. And we are making real progress."
"In recent days, we have launched projects on secure communications and regional airspace security. These are key areas."
"Politically, we stand firm in our support for Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. We call on Russia to stop its aggressive actions in Ukraine. NATO allies have not, and will not recognize the illegal and illegitimate annexation of Crimea and we will continue to coordinate with other international actors and organizations in our support for Ukraine. The people of Ukraine deserve our support and we are committed to our partnership with Ukraine."
"We will share with Ukraine air-traffic data from other allied countries -- civilian air-traffic data -- which will enhance regional airspace security."
"I think we all agree that NATO and Ukraine, we will not counter Russian propaganda with more propaganda but with facts because in the long run the truth will prevail. So the best way of countering propaganda is to provide the facts."
"An important part of our reform agenda is to do military education and that's partly about training the trainers to build military education institutions in Ukraine and there we are really making progress, that's perhaps the biggest part to our program. So NATO doesn't do training as such but we help the Ukrainians develop their own institutions to do training of their own soldiers."
"It will not be useful to declare the Minsk agreements for dead because the Minsk agreement is the best possible foundation for a peaceful solution to the conflict in Ukraine."
Another NATO-related update from our news desk:
NATO head Jens Stoltenberg has outlined additional support for Kyiv, including aid in defusing roadside bombs, and warned of a return to heavy fighting in eastern Ukraine.
Speaking in Brussels at a June 25 meeting of the NATO-Ukraine Council, Stoltenberg also urged Moscow to halt its support for pro-Russia rebels.
The Council was set up by NATO to coordinate relations with nonmember Ukraine after the end of the Cold War.
Stoltenberg said NATO is creating a new trust fund that will help with removing mines and detecting and destroying improvised explosive devices.
Those steps, he said, will be vital for saving lives in a conflict that has killed more than 6,500 people since April last year.
Stoltenberg also said the alliance is taking steps to better secure the airspace in the region.
He said Poland, Norway, and Turkey will be sharing more airport traffic control data with Ukraine, which is critical because it's "an area which is unstable and where we see fighting going on, on the ground."
A February cease-fire has largely held but in recent weeks there has been an upsurge in fighting.
Stoltenberg said Russia continues to support pro-Moscow separatists "with training, weapons and soldiers," a charge the Kremlin denies.
(Reuters, AFP)