NEWPORT, (Great Britain), September 3 (RIA Novosti) - NATO seeks concrete steps from Russia on de-escalation of Ukrainian conflict, a senior representative of the alliance said during press briefing on Wednesday.
“We would like to see concrete, transparent and confirmed steps on de-escalation of situation in Ukraine. Cessation of fire, withdrawal of troops from Ukraine, suspension of weapon supplies. It is important that words matched with the actions, the real de-escalation is needed,” NATO representative said.
As the Ukrainian crisis escalated, the West, including NATO, continued accusing Russia of meddling in Ukraine’s internal affairs, sending troops to Ukraine, and went as far as to claim that Moscow planned to invade Ukraine. However, none of these statements were supported with any evidence.
Moscow, on the contrary, has repeatedly stated that it is not involved in Ukraine's internal conflict, and said that the crisis could only be resolved through a comprehensive political dialogue.
On Wednesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin outlined a seven-point plan for the settlement of the crisis in Ukraine, calling on Kiev to withdraw troops from southeastern regions of the country and militia to cease military advances. The plan also includes, among other proposals, the creation of an international monitoring force and the establishment of a humanitarian corridor.
Since April, Kiev has been conducting a military operation against the southeastern regions of Ukraine that refused to recognize the legitimacy of the new government after a February coup. The fighting intensified after Donetsk and Luhansk regions proclaimed independence in May.
The conflict has already claimed more than 2,500 lives, according to the latest UN statistics, published last week.
