Nato chief flies to Ukraine amid fears over Russian troop build-up
Anders Fogh Rasmussen en route to Kiev as Nato issues warning over Russian troops massing close to border and Moscow announces retaliatory sanctions against the EU and US
Nato chief Anders Fogh Rasmussen will visit Ukraine on Thursday, amid growing fears of a major Russian incursion as the Alliance warns of a troop build-up at the border
On the sanctions front, Russia retaliated on Wednesday for recent US and EU measures, slapping one-year bans and limits on food and agricultural imports from the countries involved.
“The threat of a direct intervention [by Russia into Ukraine] is certainly greater than it was even a few days ago.”
Nato said Russia had increased the number of “combat-ready” troops on its border with Ukraine from 12,000 to 20,000 in mid-July.
Ukrainian forces also carried out their first air strike on the rebel stronghold of Donetsk, as they said they were preparing to liberate the city, although they also reported their highest death toll in weeks in the face of fierce rebel bombardments.
“This is a dangerous situation,” Nato spokeswoman Oana Lungescu said, warning that “Russia could use the pretext of a humanitarian or peacekeeping mission as an excuse to send troops into eastern Ukraine”.
Poland’s Prime Minister Donald Tusk said: “The threat of a direct intervention [by Russia into Ukraine] is certainly greater than it was even a few days ago”.