NATO said it will hold an "extraordinary" meeting of the alliance’s Ukraine Commission later Monday, after an upsurge in fighting between separatist rebels and Kiev left dozens of people dead.
NATO said it will hold an "extraordinary" meeting of the alliance's Ukraine Commission later Monday, after an upsurge in fighting between separatist rebels and Kiev left dozens of people dead.
Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg will separately meet with EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini Monday as the deepening crisis put pressure on Brussels to tighten sanctions against Russia.
"At the request of Ukraine, there will be an extraordinary meeting of the NATO-Ukraine Commission at ambassadorial level this afternoon... in view of the situation in eastern Ukraine," a NATO official said.
The commission was set up in 1997 when former Soviet state Ukraine became a partner of NATO. It provides a forum for the 28 alliance members and Ukraine to discuss issues of mutual concern.
Over the weekend, NATO's Stoltenberg urged Russia to "stop destabilizing Ukraine and respect its international commitments."
"Fighting in eastern Ukraine has sharply escalated with indications of a large-scale offensive by Russian-backed separatists," he said.
Lavrov Remarks
For his part, Russian foreign minister accused Kiev of escalating the situation in eastern Ukraine.
Speaking to his US counterpart John Kerry on Sunday, Lavrov blamed the upsurge in fighting in eastern Ukraine on government forces he said were "constantly" shelling towns.
"Sergei Lavrov pointed out that an escalation of the situation is a result of Ukrainian troops crudely violating the Minsk agreements by constantly shelling residential settlements," the Russian foreign ministry said in a statement, referring to a September ceasefire deal.
Lavrov also accused the government of Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko of failing to launch an "all-encompassing constitutional process" that would involve all regions and political forces.
"There is no progress in investigating numerous crimes committed during the internal Ukrainian conflict, either," the ministry said.
