NATO Secretary General Urges NATO Allies To 'Stay The Course' On Ukraine

 

Reuters: Stoltenberg urges NATO allies to 'stay the course' on Ukraine 

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - NATO boss Jens Stoltenberg urged members of the alliance on Tuesday to "stay the course" in supporting Ukraine in its war against Russia's invasion as both the United States and European Union struggle to agree on further military aid. 

"It's our obligation to ensure that we provide Ukraine with the weapons they need," Stoltenberg told reporters as he arrived for a gathering of foreign ministers from NATO countries at the alliance's headquarters in Brussels. 

"We just have to stay the course. This is about also our security interests," the secretary general of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization said. His remarks come as the fate of a $60 billion U.S. military aid package proposed by the Biden administration is in limbo due to opposition from some Republicans in Congress.  

Read more .... 

WNU Editor: This is not reassuring news. By telling everyone to stay the course tells me that a number of NATO states do not want to stay the course. 

NATO Secretary General Urges NATO Allies To 'Stay The Course' On Ukraine  

NATO Secretary General at EU Parliament: stay the course on Ukraine -- NATO 

NATO's Stoltenberg Says Ukraine, Gaza Are Very Different Wars -- Reuters 

NATO chief says Ukraine will join the military alliance, subject to reforms, after the war -- Euronews  

Stoltenberg ‘Confident’ of Continued US Support for Ukraine -- VOA 

NATO Allies Vow To Stay Firm On Arming Ukraine -- Barrons

 NATO set to finalize Ukraine's membership recommendations this week, says Stoltenberg -- The New Voice of Ukraine

US President Biden Says Ukraine Won't Have 'Easy' Path To Join NATO

 

USA Today: 'Not automatic': Biden says U.S. won't support fast-tracked path for Ukraine into NATO 

WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden said Saturday that the U.S. does not support a fast-tracked process for Ukraine to join NATO at the conclusion of the war. 

Ukraine would need to meet certain criteria for NATO membership, Biden said, raising concerns about corruption in the country. 

"I think it will. I think it can, but it's not automatic," Biden told reporters as he prepared to leave for Philadelphia. 

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy wants NATO member nations to commit to accepting Ukraine into the alliance when there is a resolution to the current conflict. 

Read more ....  

WNU Editor: It looks like there is going to be a compromise .... NATO-Ukraine Defense Council to Be Established (US Department of Defense). 

US President Biden Says Ukraine Won't Have 'Easy' Path To Join NATO  

Biden: We won't 'make it easy' for Ukraine to join NATO -- Politico  

Ukraine Won't Have 'Easy' Path To Join NATO: Biden -- AFP 

No 'easy' path for Ukraine to join NATO - Biden -- RTE  

Biden says he won't simplify requirements for Ukraine to join NATO -- Ukrinform

Biden lays down NATO warning for Ukraine -- RT

Ukraine President Zelensky Addresses The NATO Summit

 

Forbes: ‘Has Ukraine Not Paid Enough?’: Zelensky Urges NATO For Security Guarantees As Sweden And Finland Invited To Join Alliance 

In what appears to be a shift in diplomatic strategy, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky asked NATO on Wednesday whether Ukraine has “not paid enough” to join the alliance—one day after Finland and Sweden reached a deal with Turkey that paves the way for the Scandinavian countries to join NATO. 

* Speaking at NATO’s summit in Madrid Wednesday morning, Zelensky said Ukraine needs “security guarantees” and that NATO needs “to find a place for Ukraine in the common security space.” 

* Zelensky’s comments are a shift from a statement he made in March that he had “cooled down” on talks to join the alliance. 

* The Ukrainian president’s statement follows an agreement between Finland, Sweden and Turkey on Tuesday to allow the two Scandinavian countries into NATO, in return for their cooperation on counter-terrorism initatives in Turkey.

 Read more .... 

Ukraine President Zelensky Addresses The NATO Summit  

Live: Zelensky asks for modern artillery, money in address to NATO -- France 24  

Zelensky pushes NATO for more weapons, pleads for further support -- AP  

NATO summit: Zelenskyy pushes for modern artillery, funds -- Al Jazeera  

Putin Could Attack NATO Next Year, Zelensky Warns -- Daily Beast  

Zelensky addresses NATO summit: Russia must be isolated -- Ukrinform

NATO And EU Offer Ukraine Cyber-Security Support After Yesterday's 'Massive' Attack

The inspections came as several key Ukrainian government websites were taken offline Friday, authorities said, in a sweeping cyber attack. Pictured: A laptop displays a warning message in Ukrainian, Russian and Polish, that appeared on the official website of the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry after a massive cyberattack, in this illustration taken January 14, 2022  

Daily Mail: NATO announces deeper 'cyber cooperation' with Ukraine after country's government websites were taken offline by hackers in suspected Russian attack 

* NATO says it will sign an agreement on enhanced cyber cooperation after attack 

* Cyber attack temporarily brought down foreign ministry and cabinet websites 

* Russian military is being closely watched due to a troop buildup near Ukraine 

* Kyiv and the West fears that Moscow may be planning to invade its neighbour 

NATO has announced it plans to deepen cyber cooperation with Ukraine after a sweeping attack knocked out key government websites in Kyiv. 

Without naming Moscow, aide to Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky, Andriy Yermak, said Western and Ukrainian intelligence believed the cyberattacks were part of a plot for the 'destabilisation of the situation in Ukraine'. 

Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said: 'In the coming days, NATO and Ukraine will sign an agreement on enhanced cyber cooperation, including Ukrainian access to NATO's malware information sharing platform.'  

Read more .... 

NATO And EU Offer Ukraine Cyber-Security Support After Yesterday's 'Massive' Attack  

Following cyber attack, NATO to boost cyber defense cooperation with Ukraine (Ukrinform)  

EU races to help Ukraine fight cyberattack -- Politico NATO, 

Ukraine to sign cyber deal after government hack -- TRT World 

NATO and EU offer Ukraine cyber-security support after 'massive' attack -- CGTN  

U.S. offers Ukraine 'whatever support it needs' to recover from cyberattack -- Reuters

Ukraine Backtracks It Statement That Says President Biden Is Backing Kiev's NATO Membership Plan

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky (L) has accepted an invitation to the White House by US President Joe Biden SERGEI SUPINSKY , JIM WATSON AFP/File  

Axios: Ukraine amends statement saying Biden backed NATO membership plan 

The White House and the Ukrainian government initially sent out conflicting official accounts of Monday's phone call between President Biden and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. 

Why it matters: Ukraine's government initially reported on its official website that Biden had "highlighted... the importance of providing the Ukrainian state with a NATO Membership Action Plan," which would put Ukraine on course for membership in the alliance. The White House denied Biden expressed support for such a step on the call. 

* "The Ukrainians mischaracterized the statement and corrected the record," a National Security Council spokesperson told Axios. 

 * By Monday evening, the Ukrainian government's readout had been changed to remove the reference to NATO membership for Ukraine.  

Read more ....  

Update: US Reportedly Accuses Ukraine of ‘Mischaracterising’ Biden’s Words on NATO in Zelenskiy Phone Call (Sputnik)  

WNU Editor: The Ukraine government may have amended its statement, but the Ukraine President is still pushing for NATO membership .... Ukraine’s Zelensky Urges NATO to ‘Immediately’ Accept Kiev Into Alliance (Sputnik). 

Update: President Biden has invited Ukraine President Zelensky to visit the White House in July .... Biden invites Ukraine's president to White House (France 24).

Ukraine's Close Ties To China Is Another Reason Why NATO Should Be Hesitant In Admitting Kiev Into The Organization

© Photo : Press service of the Ukrainian president

SCMP: Ukraine’s path to Nato complicated by close ties to China

Kiev passed a new law that aims to push the country closer to Europe and Nato membership. But are deepening ties with Beijing – Moscow’s close military ally – pulling the country in a different direction?

On June 21, a new Law on National Security passed by Ukraine’s lawmakers was welcomed as a strong step on the country’s path to Euro-Atlantic integration and eventual membership of the Nato alliance.

President Petro Poroshenko said the legislation would improve military-technical cooperation between Ukraine and Nato and reaffirms the country’s strategic pivot to the West. His government now plans to include the law in Ukraine’s constitution.

Read more ....

WNU Editor: Chinese ties with Ukraine run deep and are decades old, and I know enough to say that many of the deals that both countries have strucked over the years were done so because of corruption. The worst one in my book was this one that occurred in 2013 when a Chinese government run conglomerate bought approximately 9% - 10% of Ukraine’s arable land for £1.7-billion .... Did China Just Buy 5% Of Ukraine? (September 23, 2018). I remember at the time the Ukraine government was denying reports that this deal occurred, but I also remembered at the time that people who had been farming this land for generations were being notified that their farmland no longer belonged to them to farm. The anger that came from that deal .... among many other reasons .... was used by the separatists 8 months later to rally support in eastern Ukraine to break away from the central authority of Kiev. Flash forward to today .... I can say with confidence that nothing has changed. The Chinese have always viewed Ukraine as an easy country to buy via through corruption and bribes. If Ukraine becomes a member of NATO .... it is a given to me that NATO secrets will be in the hands of Chinese intelligence within a very short period of time. On a positive note .... many in NATO know that, and are resisting these calls for Ukraine membership in NATO.

Update: Ooopppsss .... I forgot about this article from last year where Ukraine President Poroshenko tried to play both sides of the fence .... Poroshenko Hopes to Develop 'Strategic Partnership' Between Ukraine and China (Sputnik).

Update #2: About time .... China's ambitions in eastern Europe to face scrutiny at summit (Channel News Asia/Reuters).

Russian Media: There Is A Secret Nato Base In Ukraine

February 23, 2017. Canadian and American combat engineer instructors demonstrate door breaching and room clearing procedures to Ukrainian trainees at the International Peacekeeping and Security Centre in Starychi, Ukraine on February 23, 2017. (Photo: Joint Task Force – Ukraine)

Sputnik: Swiss Paper Blows the Lid Off Alleged Ukraine's Secret NATO-Backed Base

While Washington ostensibly supports the peaceful resolution of the Ukraine-Donbass conflict, new revelations - if true - do not add to these claims and on the contrary seem to be in sync with the approval of US weapons to Kiev.

The Swiss newspaper Le Temps has reported about scores of US and Canadian instructors training Ukrainian servicemen at the former Soviet firing range Yavorov in western Ukraine.

The newspaper described a 26 kilometer (16 mile)-long and 19 kilometer (11,8 mile)-wide firing range as one of the most secret places in Ukraine, where the country's soldiers have been trained by foreign instructors since 2015.

Read more ....

WNU Editor: This is not really a secret base. Canada's Defense Department has been very open on what their mission is .... Operation UNIFIER. Ditto NATO (see link here).

Ukrainian President Poroschenko Wants To Call A Referendum On Joining NATO

Politico: Ukraine mulls referendum on NATO membership

Polls show more than half of Ukrainians would favor joining the transatlantic alliance.

Ukrainian President Petro Poroschenko plans to put NATO membership to a referendum after polls showed 54 percent of the country favored joining the alliance, German media reported Thursday.

“Four years ago, only 16 percent [of the Ukrainian people] favored Ukraine’s entry into NATO. Now it’s 54 percent,” Funke Mediengruppe quoted Poroshenko as saying in an interview. “As president, I am guided by the views of my people, and I will hold a referendum on the issue of NATO membership.”

Read more ....

WNU Editor: I am not sure about this 54% support for joining NATO. The feedback that I am getting from my friends in Kiev are saying the opposite .... and some of these people are Poroshenko supporters. My take on this NATO trial balloon is that President Poroshenko wants to divert attention away from his failed policies and low poll numbers .... hence let's have a referendum on an issue that may get NATO support and galvanise some public support.

More News On Ukrainian President Poroschenko Announcing Plans To Call For A Referendum On Joining NATO

Ukraine's president to call for referendum on joining NATO -- UPI
Poroshenko Will Call NATO Membership Referendum in Ukraine -- Novinite
Poroshenko Says He Plans To Hold Referendum On Ukraine Joining NATO -- RFE
Report: Ukraine Considers Referendum on NATO Membership -- Washington Free Beacon
Poroshenko ready to hold referendum about Ukraine's prospects to join NATO -- Interfax Ukraine

Report: Ukrainian Helicoper Shot Down Over Rebel-Held Area Had NATO Instructors On Board

TASS: Helicopter downed by Donbass militia reportedly had NATO instructors on board

According to the DPR sources, the helicopter landed on the outskirts of the Krasnogorovka settlement, and that area is now locked down

DONETSK, October 14. /TASS/. The militia command of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) has received information that the helicopter downed by the militia on Thursday, was carrying some instructors from NATO’s member states, the DPR Operations Command Spokesman Eduard Basurin told journalists on Friday.

"There were several military instructors from NATO member states onboard during the combat flight," the Donetsk News Agency quoted Basurin as saying. According to the DPR sources, the helicopter landed on the outskirts of the Krasnogorovka settlement. Sources in the command elaborated that the area was locked down and mobile communication was turned off.

Read more ....

Update: Pro-Russian rebels shoot down helicopter 'with NATO officials on board' over rebel-held eastern Ukraine (Mirror)

WNU Editor: There has been no word or confirmation from NATO that these reports are true.

NATO: Ukraine Ceasefire Barely Holding. Blames Russia

Reuters: NATO says Ukraine ceasefire barely holding, scolds Russia

Russia is violating an internationally-agreed ceasefire in Ukraine "again and again", NATO's chief said on Wednesday, accusing Moscow of continuing to arm separatists in the conflict at the center of East-West tensions.

Some European governments are eager to lift the economic sanctions that the West has levied on Russia over its role in the Ukraine crisis.

But the assertions by NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg of continued fighting and Russian support would make it difficult to ease any penalties under the terms of the Minsk peace deal.

"The ceasefire is violated again and again, and this is of great concern," Stoltenberg told a news conference following a meeting about Ukraine with NATO defense ministers. "Russia supports the separatists ... with equipment, with weapons. They also mass troops along the Ukrainian border," he said.

Read more ....

WNU Editor: We are now in the 3rd year of this conflict .... and here is an easy prediction .... absent any political talks (of which they are none), we will be in the same situation this time next year.

More News On NATO's Response To The Ongoing Conflict In Ukraine

NATO Chief Demands Russia Withdraw From Ukraine -- RFE
NATO demands Russia withdraw from Ukraine -- AFP
NATO Ministers Approve Expanded Aid Package for Ukraine -- AP
NATO Agrees On 'Comprehensive Package Of Assistance' For Ukraine -- RFE
Ukraine's Parliament Fully Behind Joining NATO: Speaker -- Newsweek

NATO: No Arms For Ukraine

VOA/Reuters: NATO Chief Offers Ukraine Support But No Arms

KYIV — The head of NATO pledged to help Ukraine defend itself against pro-Russian separatists on Tuesday but disappointed some in Kyiv who seek supplies of defensive weaponry that the West fears would threaten a fragile cease-fire with the rebels.

In an opulent gilded state room in the presidential palace, Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg told Ukraine's National Security Council it had no closer partner than the U.S.-led military alliance and he signed agreements to modernize the armed forces.

"NATO does not provide or supply weapons," Stoltenberg told Reuters before the meeting with President Petro Poroshenko and security chiefs, where he stressed the symbolic nature of his first visit to Ukraine as head of NATO, 18 months after Russia seized Ukraine's Crimean peninsula.

More News On NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg Visit To Ukraine

NATO chief Stoltenberg warns of fragile situation in first Ukraine visit -- Deutsche Welle
Russia still arming Ukraine rebels despite truce: NATO chief -- AFP
NATO Says Russia Must Remove Heavy Weaponry From Ukraine -- Moscow Times/Reuters
Ukraine presses NATO chief for defensive weapons -- Reuters
NATO Expands Cooperation With Ukraine, Support for Its Armed Forces -- WSJ
Ukraine's President Poroshenko says staying out of NATO alliance was a 'criminal' mistake -- AP
Ukraine's Poroshenko voices desire to join NATO -- Deutsche Welle
Ukraine, NATO Sign Joint Declaration to Boost Cooperation -- Sputnik
Ukraine and NATO ink a number of documents -- Ukraine Today

Top NATO General: West Should Send Arms To Ukraine

VOA: NATO General: West Should Consider Arming Ukraine

NATO's military commander says the West needs to consider sending defensive weapons to Ukraine to help it counter Russia's continued involvement supporting pro-Moscow separatists fighting Kyiv's forces.

U.S. Air Force General Philip Breedlove told a Brussels conference that he does not think "any tool of (the) United States or any other nation's power should necessarily be off the table."

But Breedlove acknowledged that sending weapons to Kyiv could destabilize the country amid concerns about the implementation of a shaky month-old cease-fire between the pro-Russian insurgents in eastern Ukraine and Ukrainian troops.

More News On NATO's Top General Calling For The Arming Of Ukraine

U.S. Should Consider Arming Ukrainians, Top NATO General Says -- Bloomberg
West should consider all tools, including arms, for Ukraine -NATO general -- Reuters
NATO Commander Calls For Using 'All Tools' To Help Ukraine -- Radio Free Europe
NATO Military Chief Philip Breedlove Flags Ukraine Risks -- WSJ
NATO Commander: West Must Fight Russia in Information 'War' -- NYT

Ukraine Moves Away From Nonaligned Status. Wants To Join NATO

Ukraine Takes Step Toward Joining NATO -- New York Times

MOSCOW — With a Russian-backed separatist insurgency still gripping eastern Ukraine, the Ukrainian Parliament voted on Tuesday to take steps toward joining NATO. It was a pointed rebuke to Russia that immediately drew an angry response.

The Parliament, firmly controlled by a pro-Western majority, voted overwhelmingly 303 to 8, to repeal a 2010 law that codified a policy of “nonalignment,” and to instead pursue closer military and strategic ties with the West.

Former President Viktor F. Yanukovych, who was toppled in February after months of huge street protests in Kiev, the capital, pushed through the 2010 law shortly after he took office. Mr. Yanukovych fled to Russia after he lost power.

Read more ....

More News On Ukraine Cancelling It's Non-Aligned State And Wanting To Join NATO

Ukraine votes to drop non-aligned status -- BBC
Ukrainian parliament angers Moscow by scrapping "non-aligned" status -- Reuters
Ukraine takes historic step toward NATO -- AFP
Ukraine moves away from nonaligned status -- CSM/AP
Ukraine Lawmakers Annul Non-Aligned Status in NATO Move -- Bloomberg Businessweek
Ukraine moves toward NATO membership, away from Russia -- UPI
Ukraine votes to drop neutrality and seek NATO membership -- Euronews
Ukraine Votes To Abandon Neutrality, Set Sights On NATO -- Radio Free Europe
Ukraine's Parliament Drops Non-aligned Status -- VOA
Ukraine parliament endorses law canceling non-aligned status -- ITAR-TASS
Ukrainian parliament votes to give up country's 'non-aligned' status and join NATO in move set to further anger Russia -- Daily Mail
Ukraine’s complicated path to NATO membership -- Euronews

Ukraine Defense Minister: NATO States Are Supplying Us With Weapons

Ukrainian servicemen ride in armoured vehicles near Slovyansk, Ukraine. Gleb Garanich / Reuters

NATO States Are Supplying Ukraine With Weapons - Minister -- B92

NATO states are supplying Ukraine with weapons

In an interview with Ukrainian television Geletey said that he held "verbal consultations with the defense ministers of the leading countries of the world, those that can help us, and they heard us," RT is reporting.

"The supply of weapons is ongoing," he added.

This announcement came a few days after a similar statement made by an aid to the Ukrainian president caused a diplomatic scandal and a wave of denials.

President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko, who took part in the recent NATO summit, said that he had reached agreement on direct supply modern weapons with several member-countries.

Read more ....

More News On The Ukraine Defense Minister Claims That NATO States have Started To Supply Weapons

Nato members 'start arms deliveries to Ukraine' -- BBC
NATO Countries Are Delivering Arms to Ukraine, Defense Minister Says -- Moscow Times/Reuters
Ukrainian Defense Minister Says Kyiv Receiving Weapons -- Radio Free Europe
NATO arming Ukraine -- i24
Berlin doesn't know of arms deliveries to Ukraine: Merkel aide -- Reuters
Nato states exercise in west Ukraine, weapons deliveries -- EU Observer
NATO arms deliveries to Ukraine 'already under way' -- Polish Radio
NATO countries have begun arms deliveries to Ukraine, says defence minister -- DNAInida
NATO countries begin arms deliveries to Ukraine -- Haaretz

NATO And U.S. Troops Begin Military Exercises In Ukraine

US And Nato Troops Begin Ukraine Military Exercise -- BBC

About 1,300 troops from 15 countries - including the US and other Nato members - have begun a military exercise near Lviv in western Ukraine.

The US says the drill had been planned before the current crisis in eastern Ukraine, where government forces have been battling pro-Russian rebels.

Clashes have continued in eastern Ukraine, particularly around the city of Donetsk, despite a ceasefire deal.

Russia denies sending troops to aid the rebels, as alleged by Ukraine and Nato.

Over the weekend, Ukrainian Defence Minister Valery Heletey said Nato countries had begun arming his nation in the fight against the rebels.

He did not specify the type of weapons being delivered or name the countries involved.

Read more ....

More News On NATO And U.S. Troops Begin Military Exercises In Ukraine

US begins joint exercises with NATO allies in Ukraine -- Deutsche Welle
Ukraine hosts US-led military drills as truce teeters -- AFP
NATO Starts War Games in Western Ukraine -- Novinite
Military Exercises Involving 1,300 Western Troops Start In Ukraine -- Radio Free Europe

5 NATO Members Have Agreed To Send Weapons To Ukraine's Military

Advisor to Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko, Yuri Lutsenko said that agreements reached at the NATO summit in Wales to supply advanced weapons to Ukraine from several countries, including the United States, France and Poland. © RIA Novosti. Grigory Vasilenko

Ukraine Crisis: 5 NATO Members To Send Weapons To Ukrainian Forces -- CBC/Reuters

Fragile ceasefire in country's east is on verge of collapse as fighting renews

A senior aide to Ukraine's President Petro Poroshenko said on Sunday Kyiv had reached agreement during the NATO summit in Wales on the provision of weapons and military advisers from five member states of the alliance.

"At the NATO summit agreements were reached on the provision of military advisers and supplies of modern armaments from the United States, France, Italy, Poland and Norway," the aide, Yuri Lytsenko, said on his Facebook page.

He gave no further details and it was not immediately possible to confirm his statement. Poroshenko, whose armed forces are battling pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine, attended the two-day summit in Wales that ended on Friday.

Read more ....

Update: Poroshenko’s Aide Names NATO Countries That Agree to Supply Weapons to Kiev -- RIA Novosti

My Comment: The next question that needs to be answered is .... what will they be sending.

NATO Is Not Ready To Admit Ukraine As A Full Fledge Member

Ukraine's President Petro Poroshenko (L) and NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen talk during the NATO-Ukraine meeting at the NATO Summit at the Celtic Manor Resort in Newport, Wales, September 4, 2014. (Reuters/Facundo Arrizabalag)

NATO Too Wary of Russian Threats to Let Ukraine Join -- Simon Shuster, Time

Despite Russia's actions in eastern Ukraine, the U.S.-led alliance is keeping Kiev at a distance

With its aggression against Ukraine, Russia achieved in just a few months what Vadim Grechaninov has been trying to do for a decade. His mission as President of the Atlantic Council of Ukraine, a lobbying organization based in Kiev, has been to convince his country’s leaders, citizens and military officers that joining NATO is Ukraine’s only path to security. He never had much success. According to a Pew Research poll taken in 2009, a majority of Ukrainians—51%—opposed NATO membership, while only 28% supported it.

Read more ....

Update: Western powers do not intend to go to war over Ukraine -- RT

My Comment: It appears that NATO decided to take seriously Russia's warnings and threats on admitting Ukraine as a member of NATO. For Ukrainian presdient Poroshenko .... I suspect that this was told to h

Has NATO Policy Failed In Ukraine?

Analysis: NATO Confronts Failed Policy In Ukraine -- Oren Dorell, USA Today

Going into their NATO summit in Wales on Thursday, Western leaders are focusing on a failed policy in Ukraine. And so far, they lack a plan to reverse Russia's aggressive moves to bolster separatists' hold on eastern Ukraine.

Just two weeks ago, Ukrainian troops appeared poised to wrap up a military offensive against Russian-backed separatists who'd been fighting an insurgency since April. But the Ukrainian gains were soon reversed as Russia ignored Western economic sanctions aimed at deterring its backing for the separatists and instead poured military support into the rebel cause, according to the Ukraine government and NATO.

On Wednesday, after Ukraine lost ground to a counteroffensive it blamed on Russian troops and weaponry, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko indicated he was ready to accept a cease-fire even though pro-Russian separatists still control two major cities in eastern Ukraine. Russian President Vladimir Putin, who continues to deny sending troops or arms into Ukraine, is also signaling interest in a cease-fire.

Read more ....

My Comment: Zero Hedge gives two opposite opinions on what is Putin's strategy .... Is This Putin's Ukraine Strategy? (Zero Hedge). As to what is my take on NATO's policy towards Ukraine .... in short .... an utter and complete disaster.

Russia Warns Ukraine That Joining NATO Will Derail Peace Talks

Kremlin Warns Ukraine Against Joining NATO -- Washington Post

MOSCOW — The Kremlin on Thursday underscored Russia’s opposition to NATO membership for Ukraine, warning that such a move could derail efforts to end the conflict in eastern Ukraine, as leaders of the alliance gathered for a key summit in Wales.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov also told the United States not to try to impose its own will on Kiev.

Lavrov’s comments came one day after Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a plan to end the fighting that would entrench gains by pro-Russian rebels and hand a significant defeat to Ukrainian leaders who have sought to regain full control of their nation.

Lavrov said Ukraine’s attempts to abandon its nonaligned status by joining the NATO alliance could “derail all efforts aimed at initiating a dialogue with the aim of ensuring national security,” according to the Russian news agency ITAR-TASS.

Read more ....

More News On Russian Warnings That Peace Talks Will Be Derailed If Ukraine Joins NATO

Russia firmly against NATO’s plans for greater presence in eastern Europe — diplomat -- ITAR-TASS
Russia Says Ukraine NATO Ambitions Threaten Peace Efforts -- WSJ
Ukraine's NATO ambitions threaten talks, Russia warns -- AP
As NATO leaders meet, Russia gives them a warning -- CBS
Russia Warns NATO and U.S. Over Ukraine Before Summit -- Reuters

My Comment: I know that Ukraine will not listen to threats from Moscow .... but Russia is trying to influence NATO members in the hope that they will be the ones who will put the brake on Ukraine desires to join NATO.

President Obama Comments On The Crisis In Eastern Europe

Obama Calls Ukraine A ‘Moment Of Testing’ For NATO -- New York Times

TALLINN, Estonia — President Obama on Wednesday declared the conflict in Ukraine a “moment of testing” for the United States and Europe, calling Russia’s intervention a “brazen assault” on the nation’s territorial integrity that warrants a unified response.

On a day of conflicting reports of a cease-fire agreement between President Petro O. Poroshenko of Ukraine and President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia that both soon walked back, Mr. Obama condemned what he called “Russia’s aggression against Ukraine” and said Moscow was guilty of having violated the postwar international order.

“It is a brazen assault on the territorial integrity of Ukraine, a sovereign and independent European nation,” Mr. Obama said in a speech to more than 1,800 students, young professionals and civic and political leaders at a concert hall here. “It challenges that most basic of principles of our international system — that borders cannot be redrawn at the barrel of a gun; that nations have the right to determine their own future.”

Read more ....

More News On President Obama Commenting On The Crisis In Eastern Europe

Obama says NATO must help strengthen Ukraine's military -- Reuters
NATO must help strengthen Ukraine's military: Obama -- Sydney Morning Herald
Obama Says NATO Should Help Strengthen Ukraine's Army -- Radio Free Europe
Barack Obama: U.S. Will Not Tolerate 'Brazen Assault' on Ukraine -- NBC
Ukraine crisis: Russia assaulting Ukraine, says Obama -- BBC
Obama: Vision of peaceful Europe threatened by "Russia's aggression" -- CNN

Obama pledges to defend Baltic allies against Russia -- USA Today
Obama vows NATO to guarantee Baltic independence for ever -- Euronews
Obama reassures Baltic allies of NATO support amid Ukraine conflict -- L.A. Times
President Obama Says U.S. Airforce to Increase Presence in Estonia -- WSJ
Obama pledges to send more aircraft and military to Estonia -- RT