NATO warns Russia against intervention in Ukraine
Iran Press TV
Thu Apr 10, 2014 3:28PM GMT
The chief of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) has warned Russia against what he called further intervention in volatile Ukraine.
NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said during a news conference in the Czech Republic on Thursday that Russia's further involvement in the Ukraine crisis would have grave consequences and lead to severe economic sanctions against Moscow.
Rasmussen also accused Russia of deploying 40,000 troops along its borders with Ukraine in order to keep pressure on the Kiev government and pose for a possible invasion.
"From Prague, I have this message to Russia: You have a choice to stop blaming others for your own actions, to stop massing your troops, to stop escalating this crisis and start engaging in a genuine dialogue," the NATO chief said.
This is while, the Russian Foreign Ministry accused NATO of using the crisis in Ukraine to boost its appeal to members and rally its ranks against an "imaginary external threat."
Russia has rejected NATO claims that Moscow is contributing to the crisis in Ukraine.
Tensions between the Western powers and Moscow heightened after Crimea declared independence from Ukraine and formally applied to become part of the Russian Federation following the referendum on March 16.
On March 21, Putin signed into law documents that officially made the Black Sea peninsula part of the Russian territory despite condemnation from the West and the new Ukrainian government.
The move sparked angry reactions from the United States and the European Union, both imposing punitive measures against a number of Russian officials and authorities in Crimea.
GMA/AB
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