Tallinn -- NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has called on Russia to comply with the Minsk agreements on the settlement of the situation in eastern Ukraine.
“[We see] a strong military buildup, both along the borders towards Ukraine on the Russian side, but also we see Russian troops inside eastern Ukraine,” he said in Brussels in an interview with Estonian television on the eve of his visit to Estonia scheduled for Thursday.
He said that NATO saw the transfer of several hundred different pieces of equipment, including tanks, artillery, and advanced air defense systems.
“This is a military buildup, which is undermining the Minsk accord, and it’s violating the ceasefire,” Stoltenberg said.
“We call on Russia to pull back its troops and respect the Minsk agreements,” he said.
“NATO is in full support of Ukraine, and we support the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine,” Stoltenberg said, when asked how NATO would react if the Ukrainian administration loses patience and begins a full-scale war with Russia.
“We should do what we can to make Russia and the separatists respect the Minsk agreements. We urge them to be part of a peaceful solution,” he said.
He said that NATO wants to strengthen its presence in the Baltic States. The alliance is creating a rapid response force, and management structures are being formed in all three Baltic countries, Stoltenberg said.
Stoltenberg said that simultaneously with the creation of a spearhead rapid reaction force the alliance was working on an interim solution based on the existing NATO forces.
“Hopefully, we will be able to announce something more concrete about that before Christmas,” he said.
