NATO slams Russian over Ukraine as
summit starts
NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen speaks to the media at the Celtic anor resort! near Ne"port! in #ales Septem$er %!
&'(%)
BY ADRIAN CROFT AND KYLIE MACLELLAN-NEWPORT Wales Thu
Sep 4, 2014
*Reuters+ - NATO,s top o--icial $luntly accused osco" on Thursday o- attacking
Ukraine as allied leaders $egan a summit set to support .iev and $uttress de-ences
against a Russia they no" see as an adversary -or the -irst time since the Cold #ar)
U)S) /resident 0arack O$ama and his &1 allies! meeting at a gol- resort in #ales! also
discussed ho" to tackle 2slamic State militants "ho have captured s"athes o- 2ra3 and
Syria! posing a ne" threat on the alliance,s southeastern -lank! and ho" to sta$ilise
A-ghanistan "hen NATO -orces leave at year,s end)
4#e are -aced "ith a dramatically changed security environment!4 NATO Secretary-
General Anders Fogh Rasmussen told reporters on arrival at the summit) 4To the east!
Russia is attacking Ukraine)4
5is statement set the tone -or a t"o-day meeting marked $y a return to east-"est
con-rontation - &6 years a-ter the -all o- the 0erlin #all - over Russia,s sei7ure and
anne8ation o- Crimea and desta$ilisation o- eastern Ukraine)
A NATO military o--icer said osco" had 4several thousand4 com$at troops and
hundreds o- tanks and armoured vehicles in Ukraine! raising the alliance,s previous
estimate) The .remlin denies it has any -orces -ighting alongside pro-Russian
separatists)
0ritish /rime inister 9avid Cameron! the summit,s host! said U)S) and :U sanctions
"ere having an impact on the Russian economy and pressure on osco" "ould mount
i- it did not curtail military action he $randed unaccepta$le)
4#hat Russia needs to understand is i- they continue "ith this approach in Ukraine!
this pressure "ill $e ramped up!4 Cameron told 00C television)
Ukrainian /resident /etro /oroshenko! "hose -orces have su--ered set$acks in the
south and east o- the country since last "eek! told reporters a-ter meeting O$ama and
the leaders o- 0ritain! France! Germany and 2taly he "ould order a cease-ire on Friday
i- a proposed peace plan "as signed in insk as e8pected)
4At (%'' local time *(('' GT+! provided the *insk+ meeting takes place! 2 "ill call
on the General Sta-- to set up a $ilateral cease-ire and "e hope that the
implementation o- the peace plan "ill $egin tomorro"!4 /oroshenko said)
Senior re$el leaders said they too "ould order a cessation i- agreement is reached at
talks in the 0elarussian capital)
5o"ever -ighting "as continuing on Thursday close to the key strategic port o-
ariupol! hal- "ay $et"een Crimea and Russia) The Ukrainian leader sought arms!
training -or his armed -orces -rom his #estern partners as "ell as political support
against Russian /resident ;ladimir /utin)
/oroshenko,s talk o- reviving Ukraine,s $id to <oin the U)S)-led military alliance could
reopen a ri-t "ithin NATO)
O$ama said in :stonia on #ednesday the door to mem$ership "ould remain open to
states that meet NATO standards and 4can make meaning-ul contri$utions to allied
security4! $ut France and Germany remain opposed to admitting .iev! -earing it "ould
e8acer$ate tension "ith osco" and could suck them into a "ar)
RUSS2A #ARNS
Russian Foreign inister Sergei =avrov underlined osco",s opposition to Ukraine
<oining NATO! "arning that attempts to end the country,s non-aligned status could
harm security) 5e accused the United States o- supporting 4the party o- "ar4 in .iev)
A-ter a "eek o- de-iant statements -rom /utin! =avrov said Russia "as ready -or
practical steps to de-escalate the crisis in Ukraine and urged .iev and the re$els to
heed cease-ire proposals put -or"ard $y osco" on #ednesday)
Asked a$out /utin,s plan! Rasmussen said NATO "elcomed e--orts -or a peace-ul
solution $ut 4"hat counts is "hat is actually happening on the ground and "e are still
"itnessing! un-ortunately! Russian involvement in desta$ilising the situation in
eastern Ukraine4)
As more than a decade o- NATO-led com$at operations in A-ghanistan dra"s to a close
at year,s end! the &>-nation! U)S)-led military alliance is re-ocusing in part on its core
task o- de-ending its territory)
NATO leaders "ill set up a 4spearhead4 rapid reaction -orce! potentially including
several thousand troops! that could $e sent to a hotspot in as little as t"o days! o--icials
say)
:astern :uropean NATO mem$ers! including /oland! have appealed to NATO to
permanently station thousands o- troops on their territory to deter any possi$le
Russian attack)
0ut NATO mem$ers have spurned that idea! partly $ecause o- the e8pense and partly
$ecause they do not "ant to $reak a (??1 agreement "ith Russia under "hich NATO
committed not to permanently station signi-icant com$at -orces in the east)
2nstead! leaders "ill agree to pre-position e3uipment! -uel and ammunition in eastern
:uropean countries "ith $ases ready to receive the NATO rapid reaction -orce i-
needed)
The 0altic states =atvia! =ithuania and :stonia! the only parts o- the -ormer Soviet
Union to $e admitted to NATO! -ear osco" could meddle in their a--airs "ith the
same rationale it applied in Ukraine - protecting Russians)
So -ar! #estern military gestures o- support -or Ukraine have $een mostly sym$olic)
NATO leaders "ere e8pected to approve a package o- support -or .iev! setting up trust
-unds "orth around (& million euros *@(6)> million+ to improve Ukrainian military
capa$ilities in areas such as logistics! command and control and cy$er de-ence)
A do7en countries "ill <oin an e8ercise in =viv! Ukraine! later this month! co-hosted $y
Ukraine and the U)S) Army)
NATO o--icials say the alliance itsel- "ill not send the "eapons that Ukraine is looking
-or $ut individual allies could do so i- they "ish)
RUSS2A R:=AT2ONS52/
NATO leaders "ere to discuss the alliance,s relationship "ith Russia! "hich o--icials
say has $een -undamentally changed)
A-ter the end o- the Cold #ar! NATO and Russia sought cooperation in some security
-ields $ut NATO has concluded that this e--ort has -ailed! and -or no" at least! Russia is
not a partner! a senior alliance o--icial said) Cooperation "as suspended in arch a-ter
the anne8ation o- Crimea)
4Russia has $asically violated very -undamental agreements on the $asis o- "hich "e
have constructed peace and security in :urope -or the last t"o decades!4 said the
o--icial! speaking on condition o- anonymity)
France! "hich has -aced -ierce pressure -rom #ashington and other NATO allies to
halt the sale o- t"o helicopter carriers to Russia! said on #ednesday it "ould not
deliver the -irst o- the "arships -or no" $ecause o- osco",s actions in Ukraine)
#hat NATO leaders "ill agree to do to help 2ra3 com$at 2slamic State militants is less
clear) Rasmussen said the allies "ould consider seriously any re3uest -rom 2ra3 -or
assistance in dealing "ith the gro"ing insurgency $y Sunni -ighters)
The alliance as a "hole is highly unlikely to -ollo" the U)S) lead in staging military
strikes on 2slamic State! NATO diplomats say! although individual allies such as France
and 0ritain may do so) NATO could revive a mission to help train the 2ra3i armed
-orces that it halted in &'((! diplomats say)
*Additional reporting $y Guy Faulcon$ridge and Aulien /onthus in Ne"port! Stephen
Addison in =ondon! Gareth Aones in .iev and .atya Golu$kova in osco") #riting $y
/aul TaylorB :diting $y /eter Gra-- and Anna #illard+
/osted $y Thavam
