Philip Breedlove, Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR) and Commander of US European Command, has condemned Russia’s illegal incursion into the sovereign territory of Ukraine.
“Legitimate humanitarian aid should not be forcibly smuggled across international borders without consent and without the involvement of international aid agencies,” reads a posting on the Web site of the Allied Command Operations citing General Breedlove as saying.
“This convoy’s flagrant disregard for international norms and practices is cause for grave concern regarding Russia’s true motives in sending supplies across the border,” General Breedlove said.
“A forced crossing without authorization or escort indicates that Russia is more interested in resupplying separatists rather than supporting local populations,” he said.
“If Russia truly wants to help the people of Eastern Ukraine it must withdraw its troops immediately, cease the flow of weapons and operatives across the border, and use its influence with separatists in Eastern Ukraine to press for a return to diplomacy,” said General Breedlove.
“Russia has previously sent ‘humanitarian’ and ‘peacekeeping’ efforts to Georgia, Moldova and Crimea, and we have seen how they proved to be deceptions that freeze conflicts rather than resolve them,” he said.
