NATO commander in Ukraine as fighting rumbles on

Posted on by

NATO commander in Ukraine as fighting rumbles on

NATO's top military commander said he was "very concerned" that Russia's military build-up in the annexed Crimean region could be used as a launchpad for attacks across the whole Black Sea region.

US General Philip Breedlove's comments come amid fears in Kiev that Russian-backed rebels will try to grab more land in eastern Ukraine to establish a land corridor to Crimea, which was annexed by Russia in March.

"We are very concerned with the militarisation of Crimea," Breedlove said following meetings with Ukraine's top political and military leaders in Kiev.

"The capabilities that are being installed in Crimea ... are able to exert influence over the entire Black Sea," he said, highlighting the influx of cruise missiles and surface-to-air rockets.

Russia's defence ministry said Wednesday that it had deployed a batch of 14 military jets to Crimea as part of a squadron of 30 that will be stationed on the peninsula.

Breedlove also repeated accusations that Russian troops were inside east Ukraine "training, equipping, giving backbone" to rebel forces, as Ukraine's military said several more columns of military hardware and troops were spotted crossing over the border from Russia on Tuesday.

Moscow fiercely rejects any claims that it is involved in the fighting in east Ukraine but gives open political backing to the rebels, who now boast the heavy weaponry of a regular army.

Meanwhile, deadly clashes between government forces and the separatists rumbled on, with Ukraine's military saying two soldiers were killed in the past 24 hours.

Ukraine's new government this week stated its desire to move towards NATO membership, triggering further ire from Russia which strongly opposes the expansion of Western institutions in what it considers its backyard.

See more here:

NATO commander in Ukraine as fighting rumbles on

Merkel Said to Reject Ukraines NATO Bid Over Russian Tensions

Posted on by

German Chancellor Angela Merkels government is alarmed by President Petro Poroshenkos plan to hold a referendum on Ukraine joining NATO, seeing it as a dead end that would only inflame tensions with Russia.

Ukrainian membership of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization is not on the table for Merkel, according to one German official, who said that a referendum wouldnt bring Ukraine closer to NATO since decisions on membership are made by Alliance countries and not voters. Any bid to join NATO can only end badly, a second official said. Both asked not to be named discussing German government strategy.

Its a stance that Merkel and Vladimir Putin can agree on, even as she vents frustration at her inability to sway the Russian president to resolve the crisis.

NATO membership for Ukraine isnt on the agenda at this point, Michael Grosse-Broemer, the parliamentary whip for Merkels Christian Democratic bloc, said in an interview in Berlin yesterday.

German resistance to Ukraines membership in the 28-nation military alliance, echoed by France, is a warning to Poroshenko not to aggravate the conflict with pro-Kremlin separatists that has claimed more than 4,300 lives in almost eight months.

Michael Grosse-Broemer, parliamentary whip for Merkels Christian Democratic bloc, said, NATO membership for Ukraine isnt on the agenda at this point, Close

Michael Grosse-Broemer, parliamentary whip for Merkels Christian Democratic bloc,... Read More

Close

Michael Grosse-Broemer, parliamentary whip for Merkels Christian Democratic bloc, said, NATO membership for Ukraine isnt on the agenda at this point,

For Putin, the alliance once arrayed against the Soviet Union remains an adversary. Ukrainian membership in NATO would be absolutely unacceptable, a Russian government official said yesterday, asking not to be named discussing diplomatic policy. Any referendum that backed NATO membership in Ukraine would lead to further escalation which Russia wouldnt tolerate, the offical said.

Read more:

Merkel Said to Reject Ukraines NATO Bid Over Russian Tensions

NATO: Russia ready for Ukraine attack

Posted on by

Dimitar Dilkoff | AFP | Getty Images

Pro-Russian separatists ride on top of a tank near the town of Krasnyi Luch in Lugansk region, eastern Ukraine, on October 28, 2014.

Moscow has routinely denied it played any direct role in the conflict in Ukraine, which has claimed more than 4,000 lives.

Breedlove spoke during a brief visit to Kiev, where he met with top officials to discuss continued NATO assistance for Ukraine in its fight against Russian-backed separatists in the east.

"We are going to help Ukraine's military to increase its capacities and capabilities through interaction with U.S. and European command," he said, adding that it "will make them ever more interoperable with our forces."

Read MoreReaching behind the Iron Curtain for yield

Ukraine has received multiple pledges of military support from Western nations, but has been frustrated by Washington's reluctance to promise any lethal equipment. But a senior aide to President Barack Obama said last week that he believes the U.S. should consider giving lethal defensive equipment to Ukraine.

Tony Blinken, deputy U.S. national security adviser, said he believed Washington ought to consider strengthening Ukrainian forces as a message to Moscow. Providing defensive military equipment to Ukraine has broad support in the U.S. Congress.

The Ukrainian armed advance against rebel forces ground to a halt and was substantially reversed over the summer as government troops found themselves faced by a well-equipped and determined foe.

Read MoreIsrael weighs action against Iran: Jerusalem Post

See the original post:

NATO: Russia ready for Ukraine attack

NATO 'very concerned' by Russian military build-up in Crimea

Posted on by

NATO's top military commander said he was "very concerned" that Russia's military build-up in the annexed Crimean region could be used as a launchpad for attacks across the whole Black Sea region.

US General Philip Breedlove's comments come amid fears in Kiev that Russian-backed rebels will try to grab more land in eastern Ukraine to establish a land corridor to Crimea, which was annexed by Russia in March.

"We are very concerned with the militarisation of Crimea," Breedlove said following meetings with Ukraine's top political and military leaders in Kiev.

"The capabilities that are being installed in Crimea ... are able to exert influence over the entire Black Sea," he said, highlighting the influx of cruise missiles and surface-to-air rockets.

Russia's defence ministry said Wednesday that it had deployed a batch of 14 military jets to Crimea as part of a squadron of 30 that will be stationed on the peninsula.

Breedlove also repeated accusations that Russian troops were inside east Ukraine "training, equipping, giving backbone" to rebel forces, as Ukraine's military said several more columns of military hardware and troops were spotted crossing over the border from Russia on Tuesday.

Moscow fiercely rejects any claims that it is involved in the fighting in east Ukraine but gives open political backing to the rebels, who now boast the heavy weaponry of a regular army.

Meanwhile, deadly clashes between government forces and the separatists rumbled on, with Ukraine's military saying two soldiers were killed in the past 24 hours.

Ukraine's new government this week stated its desire to move towards NATO membership, triggering further ire from Russia which strongly opposes the expansion of Western institutions in what it considers its backyard.

The Ukrainian public has previously not been keen on NATO membership but there has been a dramatic shift in opinion since Russia's involvement in the separatist uprising, that has cost the lives of over 4,300 people since April.

See more here:

NATO 'very concerned' by Russian military build-up in Crimea

NATO commander says Russia still braced for incursion into Ukraine

Posted on by

Published November 26, 2014

U.S. European Command Commander, North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Supreme Allied Commander Gen. Philip M. Breedlove speaks during a news conference in Kiev, Ukraine, Wednesday, Nov. 26, 2014. (AP Photo/Sergei Chuzavkov)(The Associated Press)

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko, left, greets U.S. European Command Commander, North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Supreme Allied Commander Gen. Philip M. Breedlove in Kiev, Ukraine, Wednesday, Nov. 26, 2014. (AP Photo/Mykola Lazarenko, Pool)(The Associated Press)

U.S. European Command Commander, North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Supreme Allied Commander Gen. Philip M. Breedlove speaks during a news conference in Kiev, Ukraine, Wednesday, Nov. 26, 2014. (AP Photo/Sergei Chuzavkov)(The Associated Press)

U.S. European Command Commander, North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Supreme Allied Commander Gen. Philip M. Breedlove speaks during a news conference in Kiev, Ukraine, Wednesday, Nov. 26, 2014. (AP Photo/Sergei Chuzavkov)(The Associated Press)

KIEV, Ukraine NATO's top commander says Russia still has enough troops stationed on Ukraine's border to mount a major incursion, and that it is using its military might to affect political developments inside Ukraine.

U.S. Gen. Philip Breedlove said Tuesday that a large number of Russian troops are also active inside Ukraine, training and advising separatist rebels.

Moscow has routinely denied it played any direct role in the conflict in Ukraine, which has claimed more than 4,000 lives.

Ukraine has received multiple pledges of military support from Western nations, although the United States has so far stopped short of promising to provide any lethal equipment.

Breedlove said the focus of foreign assistance would be on helping increase the capability of Ukraine's armed forces through interaction with U.S. and European command.

Read more here:

NATO commander says Russia still braced for incursion into Ukraine

NSA WhistleBlower: NSA Owns Entire Worldwide Network – Pete Santilli Episode #851 – Video

Posted on by


NSA WhistleBlower: NSA Owns Entire Worldwide Network - Pete Santilli Episode #851
Podcast Download: http://guerillamedianetwork.com/feed/podcast/ Please be sure to comment, share, like and subscribe! Live Call-In Line: Tel 218-862-9829 Live 24/7 Listener Line 712-432-7848...

By: GMN Telemedia

See the original post:

NSA WhistleBlower: NSA Owns Entire Worldwide Network - Pete Santilli Episode #851 - Video

Posted in NSA