Nato on Wednesday warned pro-Russian separatists against grabbing more land in eastern Ukraine and stressed Moscow has a "special responsibility" to help restore peace as fighting escalates. It said the members of the 28-nation, US-led alliance expressed "their serious concern about the recent sharp escalation of violence" when they met in Brussels.
"Russia has a special responsibility to find a political solution," Nato acting spokeswoman Carmen Romero said in a statement. "Any attempt by the Russian-backed separatists to take over more of Ukraine's territory would be unacceptable to the international community," she said. The rebels currently control parts of Ukraine's Lugansk and Donetsk regions and have threatend to expand their holdings further westwards.
The Nato allies stressed the need for all sides to "de-escalate tensions and exercise restraint" while calling for "full implementation" of the peace accords reached in Minsk in February. It said monitors from Europe's OSCE mission must be able to "do their job safely and without restrictions" after the organisation said they faced "unprecedented" harassment during the spike in violence, mostly from the separatists. "Nato stands firm in our support for Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity," it said. It renewed its support for "an independent, sovereign and stable Ukraine" that will pursue the path of democracy as the best way to ensure security in the Euro-Atlantic area. It vowed to continuing following events closely.