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Moscow continues to fuel conflict, trying to stage pretext to invade Ukraine, says Jens Stoltenberg

22 February 2022 03:52 (UTC +04:00)

NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg on Monday condemned the recognition of Ukraine’s separatist regions of Luhansk and Donetsk by Russia, and warned that the Russian decision jeopardizes the peaceful resolution to the conflict, APA reports quoting Anadolu Agency.

“I condemn Russia’s decision to extend recognition to the self-proclaimed ‘Donetsk People’s Republic’ and ‘Luhansk People’s Republic’,” Stoltenberg said in a statement.

He warned that the recognition “erodes efforts towards a resolution of the conflict, and violates the Minsk Agreements, to which Russia is a party”, referring to the treaty signed in 2014 to establish peace in eastern Ukraine.

“Moscow continues to fuel the conflict in eastern Ukraine by providing financial and military support to the separatists,” Stoltenberg asserted, noting that Russia “is also trying to stage a pretext to invade Ukraine once again.

He reaffirmed NATO’s support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine “within its internationally recognized borders” and stressed that Luhansk and Donetsk are part of the country.

He also repeated his call for Russia to “choose the path of diplomacy.”  