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NATO accuses Russia of breaking ceasefire in Ukraine

Reporter: Jack Barton 丨 CCTV.com

06-16-2016 00:42 BJT

NATO has accused Russia of repeatedly breaking the ceasefire in eastern Ukraine and of stoking tensions across the region. The remarks by NATO's secretary general came on the second and final day of a NATO summit in Brussels.

Having announced a day earlier the largest NATO military buildup on Russia’s doorstep since the end of the Cold War, the organization’s secretary general demanded on Wednesday that Russia end its alleged assistance to Ukrainian separatists.

"Russia continues to support the separatists in different ways, they provide support with material, with equipment, with weapons, and also different kinds of advice and assistance. They also mass troops along the Ukrainian border," NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said.

According to Ukraine this all adds up to daily ceasefire violations.

"We talk about ceasefire, how can we talk about ceasefire when it is violated 50 or more times per day, 60 times? How can you call it a ceasefire? How can we mean it when we have wounded servicemen everyday, with loss of lives everyday? So it's very difficult to call it a ceasefire," Ukrainian Defense Minister Stepan Poltorak said.

NATO also criticized Russia’s decision to launch snap military checks on combat readiness, warning they undermined stability. President Vladimir Putin ordered the checks after NATO announced on Tuesday that it would deploy four battalions near Russia’s border next year. The Kremlin has also accused NATO of creating a new cold war.

Despite the rising tensions there were also discussions on areas of common concern between Russia and NATO such as the fight against ISIL.

NATO is now planning to train Iraqi officers and provide other direct support to combat ISIL in Iraq and Syria, where the U.S. and other coalition members are already engaged. The details will be finalized at a major NATO summit in Poland next month.

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