REUTERS
There is no military solution to the conflict in eastern Ukraine, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has said in an interview published on Friday by Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera.
"Ukraine is not a member of NATO, and we are convinced that this conflict cannot be resolved by military means,” Stoltenberg told the newspaper.
“We appeal to Russia with the requirement that it respect the Ukrainian border and not render aid to the separatists, as this endangers the ceasefire agreement. NATO supports and will continue to support the full sovereignty and territorial integrity of the country, which form the basis of the Minsk Protocol.”
Stoltenberg called for all sides to strictly observe the Minsk agreement.
"It’s a big mistake to think that if you lose, I win, or vice versa. But if a political solution is found, one respecting the interests of all parties, we will all win from it."
Stoltenberg said that "over the last year Moscow has tripled its military activity."
"And we've quadrupled our operations and increased our monitoring activities. We’ve strengthened our rapid response team’s readiness, which is now at a higher level than during the Cold War.”
In addition, the alliance, according to the general secretary, has provided Kyiv with five channels of financing through trust funds.