You're reading: Stoltenberg: Minsk implementation on agenda of NATO summit on May 25

BRUSSELS – The implementation of the Minsk peace accords will be raised at the NATO summit in Brussels on May 25, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has said.

“I expect several Allies, and especially France and Germany being from Normandy format, to raise and also to brief other Allies on the implementation of the Minsk agreements. We have to remember that the main reason why, at least one of the main reasons why NATO is implementing the biggest reinforcement of our collective defense and increasing our presence in the eastern part of the Alliance with the four new battlegroups and other measures is because of Ukraine. So NATO has responded, and we support also the economic sanctions of the European Union, and the United States and other countries,” he said at a briefing in Brussels on Wednesday, May 24.

Stoltenberg says that the Alliance is concerned about the lack of implementation of the Minsk agreements.

“We are concerned about the lack of implementation of the Minsk agreements. We have seen many, many violations of the ceasefire, and we have seen that heavy weapons are not being withdrawn from the contact line. We are particularly concerned about the international monitoring mission, the OSCE monitors, are not allowed to operate,” he said.

Answering a question about his evaluation of a decree by Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko to ban of Russian social networks, the NATO Secretary General said: “The Ukrainian government has made clear that this decree to restrict some of the sites is an issue of security, not one of freedom of speech.”

“We see how vulnerable many societies are against cyberattacks. And therefore NATO has significantly increased our own cyber defenses, we are also working with partners countries, including Ukraine, on how we can help them to strengthen their cyber networks… cyber defense,” he added.