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Nato accuses Russia of violating Ukraine sovereignty
Nato Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen: "Russia is blatantly violating Ukrainian sovereignty"
Nato
has accused Russia of a "blatant violation" of Ukraine's sovereignty
and engaging in direct military operations to support pro-Russian
rebels.
Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said that "despite
hollow denials", it was now clear that Russia had illegally crossed
Ukraine's border.He said Nato would respect any Ukrainian decision on security, after its PM said he was putting the country on course for Nato membership.
Russia denies sending troops and arms.
Russian President Vladimir Putin blamed the Ukrainian government for the crisis, comparing its siege of two cities held by separatists, Donetsk and Luhansk, to the siege of Leningrad by Nazi Germany in World War Two.
"It is necessary to make the Ukrainian authorities start substantial talks [with the rebels]," he said.
Putin: "The situation sadly reminds me of the Second World War"
Heavy fighting is continuing near Ukraine's strategic port of Mariupol, on the Azov Sea. Rebel forces are trying to capture the city but Ukrainian government troops are digging in.
Separatists are also reported to have surrounded government soldiers in several places further north, near Donetsk city.
Ukrainian forces near the town of Ilovaysk say they are cut off and have been urgently asking for supplies and reinforcements.
Ukraine has long insisted Russian is sending troops and hardware to support eastern rebels
This Ukrainian tank was destroyed in fierce fighting at Savur-Mohyla, east of Donetsk
Residents of the strategic city of Mariupol staged an anti-war rally on Thursday
He said it was sending a bill to parliament calling for Ukraine's non-aligned status to be cancelled, in effect paving the way for Ukraine to join Nato.
'Dangerous pattern' Speaking at a news conference after an emergency meeting of Nato ambassadors, Mr Rasmussen said that it was clear Russia was engaged in direct military operations in Ukraine.
"This is not an isolated action, but part of a dangerous pattern over many months to destabilise Ukraine as a sovereign nation," he said.
"This is a blatant violation of Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity. It defies all diplomatic efforts for a peaceful solution."
This satellite image provided by the
Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe shows what Nato identifies as
Russian self-propelled artillery in Ukraine
Mr Rasmussen indicated Nato was open to considering Ukraine's application to join if it met the conditions.
"I am not going to interfere with political discussions in Ukraine, but let me remind you of Nato's decision taken at the Bucharest Summit in 2008 according to which Ukraine will become a member of Nato, provided of course that Ukraine so wishes and provided that Ukraine fulfils the necessary criteria," he said.
On Thursday Nato released satellite images it said showed columns of Russian armed forces inside Ukrainian territory, adding that more than 1,000 Russian troops were operating inside Ukraine.
The rebel advance near Mariupol has raised fears that the Kremlin might seek to create a land corridor between Russia and Crimea.
On Thursday the separatists seized the nearby town of Novoazovsk.
- At least 2,593 people had been killed since mid-April, not including the 298 passengers and crew of the Malaysian Airlines MH17 shot down in the area, a UN report on 7 August said
- 951 civilians have been killed in Donetsk region alone, the official regional authorities said on 20 August
- Official casualty counts only record certified deaths while in some particularly dangerous parts of the war zone, such as Luhansk region, victims are said to have been buried informally, for instance in gardens
- Rebels (and some military sources) accuse the government of concealing the true numbers of soldiers killed
- 155,800 people have fled elsewhere in Ukraine while at least 188,000 have gone to Russia.
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