Порошенко анонсировал приказ о прекращении огня
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Президент Украины Петр Порошенко анонсировал приказ о прекращении боевых действий на востоке Украины. По его словам, поэтапный мирный план будет утвержден в пятницу, 5 сентября, на встрече контактной группы по Украине в Минске. Соответствующий приказ будет отдан в тот же день, в 15:00 мск.
Силовики отбили наступление ополченцев на Мариуполь, заявили в Госпогранслужбе Украины. Эту информацию также подтвердил заместитель губернатора Донецкой области Константин Батозский. По его словам, в ходе боя ополченцы самопровозглашенной Донецкой народной республики потеряли четыре танка.
Соединенные Штаты готовят новый раунд экономических санкций против России. Об этом в кулуарах саммита НАТО в Уэльсе заявил заместитель советника Белого дома по национальной безопасности Бен Родс. Официальный Вашингтон обвиняет Москву во «вторжении» на территорию Украины.
Очевидцы сообщили, что ополченцы ДНР начали штурм Мариуполя. По их словам, бой идет в микрорайоне Восточный, слышны очень мощные взрывы, население эвакуируется в убежища. Командир батальона «Азов» Андрей Билецкий, в свою очередь, заявил о погибших среди украинских силовиков.
Вопрос о вступлении Украины в НАТО будет решать народ, после того, как страна проведет все необходимые для этого реформы, заявил президент Украины Петр Порошенко. Он также сообщил, что альянс предложил стране помощь, которая включает в себя, помимо прочего, военное сотрудничество.
Евросоюз подготовил новые санкции против России, которые коснутся нефтяного сектора. Предполагается, что государственным нефтяным компаниям будет ограничен доступ на европейский рынок капитала. Под ограничения могут попасть «Роснефть», «Газпромнефть», а также «Транснефть».
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Сенатор от Архангельской области Константин Добрынин написал письмо администрации Twitter с просьбой разблокировать аккаунт депутата петербургского заксобрания Виталия Милонова. Член Совета Федерации считает, что блокировка привлекает к «радикально-маргинальным идеям» Милонова дополнительное внимание.
Ректор Московской духовной академии архиепископ Верейский Евгений подписал приказ о прекращении трудового договора с протодиаконом Андреем Кураевым. Копию приказа в пятницу, 5 сентября, в своем «Живом журнале» опубликовал сам профессор, такжепожаловавшийся на то, что в МГУ его лекций в этом году также не будет.
В Кремле заявили, что стенограмма телефонного разговора президента России Владимира Путина с председателем Еврокомиссии Жозе Мануэлом Баррозу опубликована не будет. Администрация президента считает тему закрытой после того, как в ЕК признали, что слова Путина о «взятии Киева за две недели» были вырваны из контекста.
По итогам 2014 года отток капитала из России составит около 100 миллиардов долларов или меньше, сообщила первый зампред Центробанка Ксения Юдаева. По предварительным данным ЦБ, отток капитала в первом полугодии достиг 74,6 миллиарда долларов. В первом квартале он составил 48,8 миллиарда, во втором — 25,8 миллиарда.
Первый универсальный десантный корабль «Мистраль» поступит в Россию в ноябре. При этом задержка поставки из-за международного давления на Москву может стоить Парижу один миллиард евро. В такую сумму оценивают зарубежные эксперты размеры штрафных санкций за ненадлежащее выполнение условий контракта французской стороной.
Новый посол США Джон Теффт прибыл в Москву. В ближайшее время он должен вручить верительные грамоты и уже на следующей неделе намерен провести встречи в российском МИДе. Кандидатуру нового главы посла Сенат утвердил еще 1 августа, но к присяге его Джон Керри привел только 2 сентября.
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Александр Коржаков, бывший глава службы безопасности первого президента России Бориса Ельцина, ушел с должности советника-наставника правительства Тульской области. Согласно сообщениям пресс-службы регионального кабинета министров, срочный трудовой договор, подписанный с Коржаковым, был расторгнут.
Убиты и ранены около 50 украинских военных, уничтожены 4 БТР и 11 автомобилей, сообщают в штабе армии так называемой "Новороссии", которая накануне начала наступление на Мариуполь. По сообщениям очевидцев, утром активные боевые действия продолжились.
Об этом сообщил, в частности, глава британского МИДа Филип Хаммонд. По его словам, все зависит от итогов переговоров о перемирии, которые сегодня пройдут в Минске, продолжит заседания контактная группа, которая должна решить судьбу Донбасса в соответствии с заявлениями президентов Украины и России.
Бывший президент СССР уверен, что Москва и Вашингтон играют особую роль в разрешении украинского кризиса. По мнению Горбачева, срыв перестройки и "авантюристический "роспуск" СССР" - это глубинные первопричины происходящего. Экс-глава государства добавил, что он боролся за сохранение единого союзного государства всеми доступными политическими средствами.
British Prime Minister David Cameron says that NATO leaders condemn the "barbaric and despicable acts" carried out by Islamic State militants and that threats by the extremist group will only harden their resolve to stand up for their values.
Secretary of State John Kerry has said the US is forming a "core coalition" to battle Islamic State militants in Iraq.
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Advance of Russian backed forces casts doubt on whether east Ukraine separatists and Moscow will reach a ceasefire agreement with Kiev
Israeli prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu offers his condolences to the family of Israeli-American journalist Steven Sotloff who was killed by Islamic State (Isis) militants. Netanyahu says the world is starting to realise that threats against the west are the same as those against Israel Continue reading...
US National Security Advisor Heads to Beijing Ahead of APECby webdesk@voanews.com (Shannon Van Sant)
U.S. National Security Advisor Susan Rice arrives in Beijing Sunday for several days of meetings with top officials. She also will lay the groundwork for an upcoming summit between Chinese President Xi Jinping and President Barack Obama in November. In her first trip to China as National Security Advisor, Susan Rice will meet with Yang Jiechi, China’s top foreign policy advisor. Her discussions are part of preparations for November’s Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC)...
Chinese Students Flock to US High Schools in Soaring Numbers by webdesk@voanews.com (Shannon Van Sant)
As American high schools start their academic year this September, it is expected to be another record year for enrollments by Chinese students. China's booming middle class is growing wealthier, and many parents and students are taking extraordinary steps to get a unique educational experience - even if it means paying a hefty price. Grace Liu, 17, grew up in Tianjin, a city of 14 million people on China’s east coast. This year she is a junior at a high school in America’s Deep...
Call comes from former chief of defence staff Lord Richards as Nato meets in Wales to discuss further options to defeat militants
The former chief of the defence staff has urged David Cameron to consider cooperating with the Syrian regime and to seek help from the Russian and Iranian governments as part of an alliance to crush Islamic State (Isis).
Lord Richards, who stood down from the post last year, also spoke for the first time about the failure of David Cameron to adopt his 2012 plan to contain President Bashar al-Assad and extremist militants who opposed him.
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US secretary of state John Kerry rules out committing 'boots on the ground' at meeting of 10 nations on sidelines of Nato summit
The United States said on Friday it was forming a "core coalition" to battle Islamic State militants in Iraq, calling for broad support from allies and partners but ruling out committing ground forces.
"We need to attack them in ways that prevent them from taking over territory, to bolster the Iraqi security forces and others in the region who are prepared to take them on, without committing troops of our own," the US secretary of state, John Kerry, told a meeting of 10 nations.
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BBC News |
Britain's David Cameron: NATO Faces 'Arc of Instability'
NBCNews.com British Prime Minister David Cameron says NATO leaders are united in condemning 'despicable acts' of terrorism. About Us · Careers · Contact · Privacy Policy – UPDATED · Terms of Service · Site Map · Advertise · Ad Choices · Outlook.com. NATO States Condemn Islamic State Militants, Kerry Calls For PlanRadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty NATO to outline force aimed at deterring RussiaChron.com NATO leaders to outline rapid response force aimed at deterring Russian ...Montreal Gazette Sky News Australia -BBC News -London South East all 1,647 news articles » |
As pro-Russian rebels advance on Ukraine, Diana Magnay reports on the possibility of a truce on the horizon.
 Fox News |
Investigators tie miscommunication to deadly US 'friendly fire' incident in ...
Fox News The first page of the report released by U.S. Central Command Thursday, Sept. 4, 2014, on the friendly fire incident in Afghanistan in June is photographed in Washington on Sept. 4, 2014. Avoidable miscommunication between U.S. air and ground forces led ... Miscommunication blamed for deadly US mistakeNewsday Report: location mix-up led to Sprague soldier friendly-fire deathKREM.com (subscription) Friendly Fire Found to Kill US Troops in AfghanistanBusinessweek New York Times all 99 news articles » |
Miscommunication blamed for deadly US mistake
Newsday Add comment. Miscommunication blamed for deadly US mistake. September 5, 2014 3:15 AM By The Associated Press ROBERT BURNS (AP National Security Writer). The first page of the report released by U.S. Central Command Thursday, Sept. 4, 2014 ... and more » |
Every 40 seconds someone in the world takes their own life, a global tally of more than 800,000 suicides a year, according to a landmark United Nations report on the subject.
Shelling rocks outskirts of Mariupol as talks to end Ukraine conflict due to beginby Annie Gowen, Michael Birnbaum, Daniela Deane
KIEV — Heavy shelling rocked the outskirts of a key Ukrainian port city Friday just hours ahead of talks on ending the conflict.
Witnesses reported heavy shelling north and east of the city of Maruipol, a strategic city of some half a million people that lies between Russia to the east and the Russian-annexed Crimean peninsula to the west.
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NATO Mulls Tightening Sanctions on Russia Over Ukraineby webdesk@voanews.com (VOA News)
NATO leaders meeting for a second day at a summit in Wales on Friday are set to consider more sanctions against Russia over its widely perceived support for separatists in eastern Ukraine. The 28-member defense alliance is also expected to approve a rapid reaction force and the deployment of military equipment to Eastern Europe to help deter potential Russian military aggression there. President Barack Obama is due to make a statement at the end of the summit. He spent Thursday meeting with other alliance leaders. Ukraine's president, Petro Poroshenko, who was attending the NATO talks, voiced cautious optimism that a cease-fire deal with pro-Russia rebels could soon be signed. The Ukrainian crisis has dominated the talks, but NATO leaders are also focused on developing strategies for containing the threat from Islamic State extremists who have in recent weeks overrun large swaths of northern Iraq and eastern Syria. British Prime Minister David Cameron said Thursday NATO leaders are trying to form a unified and comprehensive response to the Sunni extremist group. "What we're closer to now is making sure we do everything we can to squeeze this dreadful organization out of existence. You've seen real unanimity here, that everyone has to play their part," said Cameron. Obama and Cameron writing in The Times of London Thursday said they would not be intimidated by the Islamic State, which has beheaded two American journalists. The extremist group is also threatening a captive Briton with execution because of the U.S. bombardment of Islamic State positions in Iraq. In addition to talks on Ukraine and the Middle East, NATO leaders also discussed the alliance's 13-year war against al-Qaida in Afghanistan and the political uncertainties in Kabul that threaten to derail future NATO efforts. The Kabul government has yet to declare a winner in the June presidential run-off -- a dispute that has all but paralyzed governance in Kabul and threatens a new agreement to keep several NATO thousand troops in Afghanistan beyond December 31. NATO troops are slated to leave the country by January 1, 2015 if a new president does not sign agreements on the status of NATO forces in the country.
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Yesterday’s liveblog can be found here. An archive of our liveblogs can be found here. For an overview and analysis of this developing story see our latest podcast.
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For the latest summary of evidence surrounding the shooting down of flight MH17 see our separate article: Evidence Review: Who Shot Down MH17?
Below we will be making regular updates so check back often.
SkyNews footage of Russian armor outside of Mariupol September 3.
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Ukrainian forces pounded pro-Russian rebels to the east of the port of Mariupol on Friday, hours before envoys from Ukraine and Russia were expected to announce a cease-fire.
During a visit to Kyiv on September 4, U.S. Senator John McCain said "truly crashing sanctions" should be imposed on Russia. He told journalists he's urging the U.S. government to provide defensive weapons for Ukraine to be able to defend against what he described as the "invasion of a sovereign country" by Russia. (Reuters)
Live coverage of the Ukraine crisis, where Kiev and rebels have pledged to declare ceasefire if "peace plan" can be agreed upon in Belarus, despite ongoing fighting in Mariupol and Donetsk
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HRW: Ukraine Rebels Use Civilians for Forced Laborby webdesk@voanews.com (VOA News)
A leading human rights group is accusing rebels in eastern Ukraine of arresting civilians and using them for forced labor, in some cases near frontline battle positions. Human Rights Watch released a report on Friday alleging civilians are being arrested for minor alleged infractions, such as drinking beer in public, breaking curfew or unlawful use of drugs. It said the separatists are forcing the citizens to serve for as long as 30 days in so-called "punishment brigades," where they must fill sandbags, dig trenches, or work in kitchens. Some of those interviewed by the New York-based group said they were forced to work at checkpoints close to where Ukrainian forces are battling the separatists. In addition to the forced manual labor, others citizens reported being beaten in detention. When they refused to cooperate, the separatists threatened to kill them. The group said the practice of forced labor appears to be widespread in areas of eastern Ukraine that are controlled by the rebels, which the West says are supported by Russia.
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A host of world leaders, including U.S. President Barack Obama, arrive at Cardiff Castle for a working dinner to close the first day of the NATO summit in Wales. Rough Cut (no reporter narration)
NEWPORT Wales/DONETSK Ukraine (Reuters) - Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko and the main pro-Russian rebel leader said they would both order ceasefires on Friday, provided that an agreement is signed on a new peace plan to end the five-month war in Ukraine's east.
 СЕГОДНЯ |
В Минске сегодня состоится очередное заседание контактной группы по Украине
Regions.ru Сегодня в Минске пройдут переговоры контактной группы по Украине. Участниками встречи станут представители ОБСЕ, России, Киева и самопровозглашенных республик Донбасса, передает "Росбалт". Если на предыдущей встрече за закрытыми дверями дипломаты лишь озвучили ... В Минске может быть подписан план по урегулированию конфликта на УкраинеПервый канал Судьбу украинского конфликта решат в Минске за 60 минутНТВ.ru По итогам переговоров 3-сторонней контактной группы в Минске в пятницу могут быть подписаны важные документы - посол Беларуси в УкраинеИнтерфакс - Украина Интерфах-Запад -СЕГОДНЯ -РИА Новости Украина Все похожие статьи: 300 » |
Sept. 4, 2014: Unmarked Military vehicles burning in country roads in the village of Berezove, eastern Ukraine, after a clash between pro-government troops and Russian-backed separatist militia. Separatist rebels have made major strides in their offensive against Ukrainian government forces in recent days, drawing on what Ukraine and NATO says is ample support from the Russian military.AP
Ukraine and pro-Russian rebels appeared increasingly close to signing a deal to end four months of fighting, as NATO leaders expressed support for Ukraine at a NATO summit Thursday.
Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said he's ready to order a cease-fire in the east Friday if a peace deal is signed that day at talks in Minsk, Belarus. The rebels also said they were ready to declare a truce Friday if an agreement with Ukraine is reached on a political settlement for the mostly Russian-speaking region.
Poroshenko discussed the outlines of a deal with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday, and they both voiced optimism about reaching an agreement in Minsk.
Facing major challenges with conflicts in Ukraine, Syria and Iraq and a winding down of operations in Afghanistan, NATO leaders gathered for a two-day summit at a golf resort in southern Wales. Before the official proceedings began, Poroshenko attended a meeting with Obama and the leaders of NATO's four major European powers: British Prime Minister David Cameron, French President Francois Hollande, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi.
A White House official said Obama and the other leaders expressed solidarity with Ukraine and agreed Russia should be punished for its conduct in Ukraine.
"The leaders reiterated their condemnation of Russia's continued flagrant violation of Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity, and agreed on the need for Russia to face increased costs for its actions," U.S. Deputy National Security Advisor Ben Rhodes said. "The leaders also expressed their strong support for President Poroshenko's efforts to achieve a peaceful resolution to the conflict."
Later in the day, Poroshenko was to meet with the heads of state and government from all 28 NATO member states, even though NATO officials have made clear that membership for Ukraine isn't in the cards anytime soon.
In Moscow, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov warned reports that Ukraine was seeking to join NATO were "a blatant attempt to derail all the efforts" to seek a peaceful solution to the fighting.
Russian-backed separatists have been fighting government troops in eastern Ukraine since mid-April in a conflict that the U.N. estimates has killed nearly 2,600 people.
A NATO senior official told Sky News that 3,000 Russian combat troops and hundreds of armored vehicles are inside Ukraine.
"We are still seeing several thousand Russian combat troops on the ground inside Ukraine, equipped with hundreds of tanks and armoured vehicles, so [there is] no substantial change in the disposition of Russian forces inside Ukraine," the official said.
The official added that Russian troops in Ukraine will soon outnumber the rebels and there around 20,000 Russian troops near the country’s border.
Rebels have made substantial advances against Ukrainian forces over the past two weeks, including opening a new front along the Sea of Azov coast. That offensive has raised concerns the rebels are aiming to seize Mariupol, a major port of about 500,000 people, and create a land corridor between Russia and Crimea, the Black Sea peninsula that Russia annexed in March.
An AP reporter saw three military-type vehicles ablaze Thursday in Berezove, a village along the main road connecting Mariupol with Donetsk, the largest rebel-held city. Rebel fighters were on the move, indicating they could be trying to take control of the strategic highway. Later, columns of smoke rose outside the nearby village of Olenivka, suggesting that Ukrainian forces were trying to retake it.
Specifics of the hoped-for peace deal are yet to be finalized. Putin has suggested that rebels halt their offensive while the Ukrainian government forces should pull back away from shelling residential areas.
Poroshenko, in his turn, called for the withdrawal of foreign troops, a diplomatic reference to Russian forces, as well as establishing a buffer zone on the border and releasing all Ukrainian prisoners held in Russia.
Both sides have expressed readiness for international monitoring of the truce and a prisoners' exchange.
Earlier, NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen accused the Russians of continued meddling in eastern Ukraine.
"What counts is what is actually happening on the ground," Rasmussen said Thursday. "And we are still witnessing, unfortunately, Russian involvement in destabilizing the situation in eastern Ukraine. So we continue to call on Russia to pull back its troops from Ukrainian borders, stop the flow of weapons and fighters into Ukraine, stop the support for armed militants in Ukraine and engage in a constructive political process."
The battles have taken a heavy toll on Ukraine's army. National Security Council spokesman, Col. Andriy Lysenko, told reporters Thursday that 837 Ukrainian servicemen have been killed and 3,044 wounded since the fighting began in April.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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Since Russia invaded Ukraine, there've been a lot of comparisons between Putin's Russia and the Soviet Union. There's a lot wrong with that comparison, starting with one fairly obvious point: the Soviet empire wasn't just Russia. The Soviet republics in the USSR itself and the "Iron Curtain" client states in eastern Europe were key contributors to Soviet power. And Putin can't draw on them in nearly the same way as his Soviet predecessors.
To see just how much that matters, check out this chart of former Soviet-aligned economies from JP Morgan. Michael Cembalest, the investment firm's Chairman of Market and Investment Strategy, put together a list of important economic indicators for each country — GDP, trade rate, etc. This isn't a trivial amount of wealth: Cembalest notes that, together, these countries roughly equal Russia's current GDP, and their trade volume is 2.5 times larger.
What he found is that the bulk of economic power in the former communist bloc now isn't Putin's to command, and often is aligned against him. Most of that power is now in NATO and/or EU countries, like Poland and the part of Germany that used to be East Germany, or countries where Cembalest judges Russian influence to be fairly limited.
Each bar in the chart measures an economic factor across all of the countries that were once part of the Soviet Union or under its direct or indirect control, except for Russia itself. The bars are divided, by color, between states that are closely integrated or aligned with modern-day Russia (red), states that aligned against Russia (blue), and states that fall somewhere in between (orange and yellow).
(Michael Cembalest/JP Morgan)
So Moscow still has some degree of influence over much of the resource wealth and arable land that it did in the Soviet era, but much more important economic assets like trade, banking, intellectual property, and pure GDP have since shifted to Western alliances. That is a pretty stark indication of just how much weaker Russia is today without those important states, mostly in eastern Europe, that have since embraced the West.
"While the Russian Federation may be plotting an increasingly divergent course from the West," Cembalest concludes, "the economic and political independence achieved by most Soviet Bloc countries in the early 1990's does not appear at risk of being meaningfully reversed or morphing into USSR 2.0." He's almost certainly right.
To learn more about the crisis in Ukraine, read the full explainer, and watch the two-minute video below:
Is the Ukraine crisis a new Cold War?
Not really. The Cold War was a global struggle for hegemony between two, roughly co-equal powers. It divided Europe between west and east and then divided much of the world. It included bloody proxy wars on just about every continent, and raised a very serious risk of global thermonuclear war.
None of that is true today. The US is many times more powerful and influential than Russia; neither America nor the Western world nor democracy itself are at any real risk. More to the point, almost the entire world opposes Russia's annexation of Crimea. President Obama has described Russia's actions as the behavior of a weak country. He is broadly correct, although Russia is clearly still strong enough to annex neighboring territory.
Russian President Vladimir Putin is certainly acting as if his country is in geopolitical competition with the West. He's become much more aggressive about asserting Russia's influence: he fought a brief war with the former Soviet republic of Georgia in 2008, set up a Eurasian trade union he wants to become a competitor to the European Union, and is arming and protecting the Syrian government as if that country's war were a Cold War-style proxy conflict. Putin clearly wants to reclaim some of Russia's past greatness, which in practice has meant asserting Russian power and positioning himself as a legitimate competitor to the Western world.
Still, this competition is limited to former Soviet republics and Syria. It is nowhere near the global conflict of the Cold War.
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Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov speaks during a meeting with his Iranian counterpart Javad Zarif in Moscow, August 29, 2014. Maxim Zmeyev/Reuters
Russia's foreign minister warned NATO not to offer Ukraine membership of the alliance as it gathered for a summit on Thursday and told the United States not to try to impose its will on the former Soviet republic.
Sergei Lavrov also urged Kiev and pro-Russian rebels fighting Ukrainian forces in eastern Ukraine to back peace moves outlined by President Vladimir Putin and avert what he said could be a large-scale crisis in the heart of Europe.
Putin unveiled the seven-point plan on Wednesday, the eve of a NATO summit at which the crisis in Ukraine will be discussed.
"It is precisely at such a moment when a chance has emerged to start solving specific problems between Kiev and the militias that some sections of the Kiev authorities make demands for Ukraine to drop its non-aligned status and start joining NATO," Lavrov said at talks with the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, a rights and security group.
"It's a blatant attempt to derail all efforts aimed at initiating a dialogue on ensuring national reconciliation."
Moscow has long said it will regard NATO membership for Ukraine as a national security threat.
Underlining Moscow's concerns about U.S. influence on Kiev, Lavrov said: "Some of our Western partners, including unfortunately the most influential players - the United States - want victory for NATO and a situation where America dictates its will to everyone."
"This concept of exclusivity, which President (Barack) Obama has repeatedly declared, can lead to no good and has so far led to no good," he said.
Lavrov promised Russia would take "practical steps" to de-escalate the crisis in Ukraine and urged Kiev and rebel leaders to accept Putin's proposals for a ceasefire.
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04.09.2014 17:56
Президент Украины Петр Порошенко. Иллюстрация: nato.int
Президент Украины Петр Порошенко в рамках «общей встречи» с лидерами западных стран, которая состоялась сегодня, 4 сентября, в Уэльсе в рамках саммита НАТО, проинформировал «партнеров» о ходе переговоров, которые состоялись накануне с президентом Российской Федерации Владимиром Путиным относительно мирного урегулирования ситуации на Донбассе. Об этом Порошенко заявил журналистам после встречи, передает корреспондент ИА REGNUM.
Порошенко отметил, что по предварительно информации завтра, 5 сентября, в 14:00, в Минске должно состояться заседание трехсторонней контактной группы (Украина-Россия-ОБСЕ). «Запланировано подписание документа, предусматривающий этапность введения мирного плана Украины… Чрезвычайно важно, что ключевым элементом этого плана является прекращение огня. Если встреча состоится и подписание плана будет подтверждено, мы надеемся, что имплементация мирного плана будет начата прямо завтра», — подчеркнул президент Украины.
Напомним, что Порошенко начал свое участие в саммите НАТО с общей встречи с премьер-министром Великобритании Дэвидом Кэмероном, президентом США Бараком Обамой, канцлером Германии Ангелой Меркель, премьер-министром Италии Матео Ренци и президентом Франции Франсуа Олландом.
A U.S. citizen of Azerbaijani origin, Said Nuri, has been barred from leaving Azerbaijan.
Nuri told RFE/RL that officials at Baku international airport did not allow him to leave for Ukraine on September 4, citing an undisclosed ruling by the National Security Ministry and prosecutor-general's office.
According to Nuri, Azerbaijani officials said to him that he is also a citizen of Azerbaijan and therefore the U.S. Embassy has no right to interfere in the situation.
Nuri was the deputy chief of the pro-opposition Yeni Fikir (New Opinion) youth group.
He left Azerbaijan several years ago after an investigation into treason was launched against his organization.
Nuri said it's his fourth trip to Azerbaijan since he became a U.S. citizen in 2012.
For each trip he has obtained a visa as he used his U.S. passport to enter the country.
РБК 04.09.2014, Москва 18:40:33 Украинские силовики заявили, что им удалось отразить наступление ополченцев на Мариуполь. Об этом сообщил советник министра обороны Украины Александр Данилюк.
«Подразделения вооруженных сил Украины отразили наступление врага на Мариуполь и уничтожили несколько единиц бронетехники противника», — написал он на своей странице в «фейсбук». Данилюк добавил, что обстрел украинских позиций продолжается.
По словам заместителя председателя Донецкой ОГА Константина Батозского, речь идет о четырех танках ополченцев. «Силами пограничных войск и спецбатальона «Азов» отбита разведка боем, которую предпринял враг со стороны Новоазовска. Уничтожены 4 танка врага», — пояснил он.
По его словам, в настоящий момент обстановка в Мариуполе спокойная.
Боевые действия на востоке Украины продолжаются с середины апреля, когда Александр Турчинов, бывший тогда врио президента Украины, объявил о начале спецоперации. Согласно последним оценкам ООН, в зоне конфликта погибло 2 тыс. 593 человека.
Жителей города призывают не паниковать. Фото: eastnews
Украинские военнослужащие под Мариуполем успешно отразили разведку боем, о которойраньше сообщил глава Донецкой облгосадминистрации Сергей Тарута, и которую местные жители ошибочно приняли за полноценное вторжение. Об этом на своей страничке в "Фейсбуке"написал заместитель губернатора области Константин Батозский.
- Силами пограничных войск и спецбатальона "Азов" отбита разведка боем, которую предпринял враг со стороны Новоазовска. Уничтожены 4 танка врага (именно столько Тарута назвал. - Авт.), - написал он.
Батозский добавил, что по состоянию на 15.48 ситуация стабилизировалась. По его словам, в городе по-прежнему работают Сергей Тарута и мэр Мариуполя Юрий Хотлубей.
- Паникеров, истеричек, читателей гороскопов и прочих просим великодушно успокоиться, - резюмировал заместитель главы облгосадминистрации.
В ТОЖЕ ВРЕМЯ
Соцсети: "В Мариуполе опять взрывы, дрожат окна!"
После утренних сообщений на мариупольской страничке в соцсети "ВКонтакте" о том, что на город атакуют и последующих заявлений от украинских военных о том, что атака на город была отбита, в соцсетях возобновились сообщения о взрывах и стрельбе.
"На Восточном слышно взрывы, стоит дым. На Ленинградском окна чуть не повылетали. Живу на Нептуне, слышал выстрелы и канонаду", - пишут горожане.
По словам людей, звуки взрывы слышны на протяжении 30 секунд, затем они стихают, а потом все повторяется. Поступают сообщения о сильных отголосках взрывов, трясутся окна на верхних этажах многоэтажек.
"Грады, что ли, были? Стекла дрожали, а мы на пятом этаже", - пишет мариупольчанка Алина Прокопчук.
Люди передают, что опять начались проблемы с сотовой связью - не работает "Киевстар". По последним сообщениям, украинская армия начала отступать от города, однако, эта информация пока не подтверждается.
Напомним, боевые действия под Мариуполем начались сегодня утром. По словам губернатора Донецкой области Сергея Таруты, в селе Широкино шла разведка боем.
В час дня 4 сентября жители Мариуполя начали сообщать о взрывах и перестрелках в городе, в основном на Левом берегу. По городу разлетелась страшная новость – начался штурм. Местные жители сообщили, что также слышен гул авиационных двигателей. Чья это авиация - не понятно.
"КП в Украине" дозвонилась заместителю батальона "Азов" Игорю Мосийчуку. Факт массированной атаки он подтвердил. В штабе обороны Мариуполя уточнили, что бой идет не в самом городе, а рядом с ним. Несколько танков выдвинулись со стороны Новоазовска, также боевые действия развернулись в Безыменном. В штабе отметили, что противник не представляет опасности.
Бой развернулся под Мариуполем - село Широкино.
Позже жители Мариуполя сообщили, что два российских танка подбиты. По имеющейся информации, это те же танки, которые стояли в Новоазовске.
В Государственной пограничной службе отпровергают информацию замкомбата "Азова" Игоря Мосийчука о том, что Мариуполь был атакован с моря. Напомним, он сообщил, что с Азовского моря к порту прибыли несколько ракетных катеров с закрашенными эмблемами, они ведут ракетный обстрел территории.
Местные же жители при этом решили, что город атакуют с воздуха. В сосетях писали, что слышали гул ракетных двигателей, а за этим – взрывы.
ГЕОГРАФИЯ БОЕВ
Данные разрозненные.
Антикризисный медиа-центр: в половину двенадцатого около украинская разведка сообщила, что со стороны Коминтерново (Новоазовский район) выдвинулось 10 танков (на танках видны надписи: "На Киев", "На Львов", 4 БМП-1, 2 БТР, 5 "КамАЗов" с военной техникой. С другой стороны — через Безименное в сторону Мариуполя выдвинулось 10 танков и самоходная техника.
Тарута: 4 танка и около 40 десантников проводят разведку боем, выехали из Безыменного и находятся между селом Широкино и селом Бердянское
Hubs: со ссылкой на донецкого пограничника сообщил, что военная техника противника в 15 -20 км от Мариуполя. Наступление, по его словам, происходит со стороны поселка Розы Люксембург и Новоазовска.
*красным отмечен Мариуполь, фиолетовым - населенные пункты из которых, по данным военных, выдвинулась техника противника, синим - села, где идут бои.
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Украинские военные отбили наступление противника на Мариуполь, заявил советник министра обороны Украины Александр Данилюк. «Подразделениями Вооруженных сил Украины отражено наступление противника на Мариуполь, уничтожено несколько единиц вражеской бронетехники и живая сила», — написал он на своей страничке в Facebook в четверг (цитата по «Интерфаксу»).
Вместе с тем, по словам Данилюка, обстрел украинских позиций продолжается.
Заместитель председателя Донецкой ОГА Константин Батозский также написал в Facebook:«Ситуация по Мариуполю. Силами пограничных войск и спецбатальона “Азов” отражена разведка боем, которую сделал враг со стороны Новоазовска» (цитата по УНИАН1).
Как сообщает2 УНН со ссылкой на пресс-центр АТО, российские военные обстреливали силы АТО под Мариуполем с территории пансионата. «Около двух часов назад в районе населенного пункта Безымянный российская артиллерия открыла огонь по позициям Вооруженных сил Украины. По данным разведки, неподалеку от орудийных расчетов расположились съемочные группы российских телеканалов. Их целью было снять очередной провокационный материал», — сообщили в пресс-центре АТО.
Ранее в четверг источник «Интерфакса» в правительстве самопровозглашенной Донецкой народной республики (ДНР), сообщил, что ополченцы начали активную фазу операции с целью взять под контроль Мариуполь. «Начались активные действия на южном направлении. Цель этих действий — установить полный контроль над городом Мариуполь. Операция проводится войсковыми методами», — сказал источник. «Интерфакс» не располагает подтверждением этой информации из других источников. В то же время «Украинская правда» сообщала, что ситуация в Мариуполе спокойная, силам АТО поступает подкрепление.
По данным «РИА Новости», ополчение ДНР пытается взять штурмом поселок Широкино в 22 км к востоку от Мариуполя, где располагается госадминистрация Донецкой области.«Сейчас бой продолжается», — сообщил «РИА Новости» представитель штаба. Со стороны ополчения, по данным агентства, в бою участвуют около 30 единиц бронетехники — танки, БТРы, «» с живой силой.
Спикер информационно-аналитического центра Совета национальной безопасности и обороны(СНБО) Украины Андрей Лысенко подтвердил «РИА Новости», что ополченцы движутся на Мариуполь, однако заявил, что «массового наступления не наблюдается». «Отступления(со стороны украинских военных в Мариуполе) нет. Да, действительно есть информация о якобы движении со стороны террористов», — сказал Лысенко. Вместе с тем он заявил, что «какого-то массового наступления не наблюдается».
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NEWPORT, Wales — With Ukraine the primary focus of the NATO summit meeting here Thursday, the Ukrainian president, Petro O. Poroshenko, said he would seek to establish “a bilateral cease-fire” on Friday between Ukraine’s armed forces and pro-Russian separatists that would lay the foundation for a “stage-by-stage peace plan” for his country.
Mr. Poroshenko met in the morning with leaders of the United States, Britain, France, Germany and Italy and said any cease-fire would be conditional on a planned meeting going ahead in Minsk on Friday of envoys from Ukraine, Russia and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe. If the meeting takes place, he said, he will “call on the general staff to set up a bilateral cease-fire, and we hope that the implementation of the peace plan will begin tomorrow.”
Other cease-fire efforts have foundered, and President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia has said the negotiations are not his problem, because Russia is “not a party” to the conflict. Mr. Putin has repeated that claim lately in the face of accusations from President Obama and NATO leaders that regular Russian troops are fighting in support of the separatists inside Ukraine.
A rebel leader told the Russian news agency Interfax that “if there is a real cease-fire on their part, then maybe we will also cease fire.” Andrei Purgin, a leader of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic, said, “We will see how they observe their cease-fire.”
The summit is taking place at a moment of rising challenges to NATO practically across the globe, a point Britain’s prime minister, David Cameron, the summit host, made in his opening remarks on Thursday. While declaring flatly that “Russian troops are illegally in Ukraine,” he raised other new threats, like an “extremist Islamist threat that has arisen in Iraq and Syria” that will require the alliance to “reinvigorate and refocus.”
In a joint op-ed article on Thursday in The Times of London, Mr. Obama and Mr. Cameron called on NATO to reject “isolationist” impulses and confront the rising terrorist threat posed by the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, known as ISIS, saying the United States and Britain “will not be cowed by barbaric killers” or “weaken in the face of their threats.”
Mr. Cameron said he would urge alliance partners to follow the American and British refusal not to pay ransoms to terrorist groups, and officials said Britain would now supply ammunition to the Kurds in Iraq who are fighting ISIS. Mr. Obama and Mr. Cameron are trying to secure support for a wider international coalition against the militant group, but the British have so far chosen not to bomb ISIS positions, as the Americans are doing.
“The international community as a whole has an obligation to stop the Islamic State from advancing further,” Anders Fogh Rasmussen, the NATO secretary general, said at a news conference on Thursday, using the name ISIS itself goes by. He noted that there had been no request from Iraq for NATO assistance in confronting the group.
But how to deal with Russia and its challenge to the post-Cold War European order is the central issue for NATO, with its focus on European security. Through some substantive measures and some symbolic ones, the alliance wants to calm members like the Baltic states and Poland and also make clear to Moscow that the principle of collective defense remains sacrosanct and is credible.
The principal measure NATO is expected to support is the establishment of an upgraded rapid reaction force of some 4,000 troops able to deploy to prepositioned bases and equipment in the east within 48 hours.
Without using the word “permanent,” which would violate an agreement with Moscow, Mr. Obama and Mr. Cameron called for keeping a “persistent” NATO defensive presence in Eastern Europe to show Russia that the alliance is serious about the defense of all of its members, and expressed support for the rapid-response force including land, air, maritime and special forces “that could deploy anywhere in the world at very short notice.”
In written comments made to the morning meeting on Ukraine, Prime Minister Matteo Renzi of Italy said, “We have to be united in condemning Russia’s behavior.” He noted that the European Union is moving to enlarge sanctions on Russia in sectors like “finance, defense and sensitive technologies and dual use goods.”
While NATO can help a political solution in Ukraine by “lending concrete support to Kiev,” he said, “at the same time we have to avoid NATO being perceived as a further confrontational factor.”
Mr. Renzi urged support for a lasting cease-fire and urged Mr. Poroshenko to continue efforts “to launch an effective national reconciliation process,” including constitutional reform to protect minorities, a major theme as well of the German chancellor, Angela Merkel.
NATO leaders are also discussing winding down the alliance’s combat mission in Afghanistan at the end of the year and shifting it to a training and assistance mission, although details of the transition cannot be finalized until Afghans resolve a disputed presidential election.
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Бой начали украинские силовики, которые находятся в Мариуполе на осадном положении. Сегодня днем ополченцы предложили им провести переговоры. Требований было два — сдаться самим и сложить оружие. Но все попытки переговоров были тщетны. Военные
попытались прорвать оборону ополченцев
с восточной части города. Ополченцы смогли отстоять свои блокпосты.
Сейчас бой продолжается. Со стороны Новоазовска в Мариуполь идет колонна из нескольких десятков танков, на самих подступах к городу также горят бронемашины. Люди
спешно покидают Мариуполь
.
Что же касается Донецка, то говорить о том, что обстановка в нем нормализуется пока преждевременно. Ополченцам удалось выбить бойцов Нацгвардии подальше от города, и теперь они не утюжат его из артиллерии. Но шум канонады все еще доносится с северной части города. Это бойцы Нацгвардии бомбят жилые дома и объекты инфраструктуры, передает
корреспондент НТВ Михаил Федотов
.
NATO Opens Summit With Emphasis On Ukraine Situationby noreply@rferl.org (RFE/RL)
NATO in beginning a two-day summit in Wales that is expected to focus on the problems in eastern Ukraine and approve a plan to bolster NATO's presence along the alliance's eastern borders.
Rolling coverage of all the developments from the Nato summit in Newport, including David Camerons Today interview
The Radio 5 Live interview is now over. It was Camerons fifth this morning (after ITV, BBC Breakfast, Sky News, and Today) and his last.
Ill post a summary of the highlights shortly.
Q: What will stop Putin?
Cameron says we need to show that Russia needs the west more than the west needs Russia.
Q: At the end of the cold war we thought threats were over. Was it a mistake to cut the defence budget?
Cameron says he never thought threats had gone away.
Q: What can be done to bring to justice the Briton seen in the James Foley/Steven Sotloff videos?
Cameron says the people who do this should know, one way or another, they will face justice. He is sure that is true of this individual too.
Cameron is on Radio 5 Live now.
Some of what he says duplicates what he said on Today, and so I will leave out those answers. Ill try to focus just on the new material.
The Daily Mails political editor, James Chapman, thinks David Cameron is bluffing when he says he would not resign if Scotland voted yes.
Cameron says again 'emphatically' he would not resign if Scotland votes to leave UK. Not sure I believe that #IndyRef
Q: Turning to Scotland, what has gone wrong with the Better Together campaign?
Cameron says he does not think it has been negative of complacent. As prime minister he is saying the rest of the UK wants Scotland to stay. He is not staying Scotland cannot be independent; Scotland, of course, can be independent. But it is better off as part of the UK.
Q: Why are Britons going abroad?
Cameron says he asks that question all the time. A poisonous world view has arisen. It is not representative if Islam. Its a view that pops up all over the world wherever there is a broken state. It is an extremist, poisonous, medievalist world view, he says.
Q: Your plans for a crackdown on British jihadists are virtually unworkable.
Cameron says he does not accept that.
Q: Obama says he does not have a strategy.
Cameron says he does not accept the idea there is not a strategy. Look at the many initiatives taken recently.
Q: Would you sanction air strikes?
Cameron says he wont rule anything out.
Sarah Montague is interviewing David Cameron.
Q: A Briton is being held hostage in Syria. What can you do to help?
And Cameron has been tweeting about the sunrise.
RT @NATOWales: Stunning #sunrise over Celtic Manor in Newport ahead of the start of#NATOSummitUK this morning. http://t.co/uQfXJBueGs
Heres my colleague Patrick Wintours Twitter summary of what David Cameron has already been saying in his morning interviews.
Cameron am broadcasts. Talks of arming and training Kurds. IS direct threat to UK. Assad part of the problem, not part of the solution.
David Cameron is in Newport in South Wales this morning, where he will be hosting a two-day Nato summit. With Islamic State (Isis, according to the Guardians house style, but often referred to as Isil by others) now controlling a territory larger in size than the UK in Syria and Iraq, and Russia launching a quasi-invasion of Ukraine, this is one of the most important Nato summits in recent years.
As Patrick Wintour reports in the Guardian, Cameron and President Obama want to use the summit to build an anti-Isis alliance.
Barack Obama and David Cameron have vowed to use the Nato summit starting in Wales on Thursday to engineer a resilient military and political coalition, including key countries in the Middle East, capable of squeezing out and destroying Islamic State (Isis) in northern Iraq.
British officials also said the Britishprime minister was examining every option to protect the British hostage threatened by the jihadist group on Tuesday, in light of its murder of the American journalists Steven Sotloff and James Foley in the past month.
Those who want to adopt an isolationist approach misunderstand the nature of security in the 21st century. Developments in other parts of the world, particularly in Iraq and Syria, threaten our security at home.
And Nato is not just an alliance of friends who come to the aid of each other in times of need. It is also an alliance based on national self-interest. Whether it is regional aggression going unchecked or the prospect that foreign fighters could return from Iraq and Syria to pose a threat in our countries, the problems we face today threaten the security of British and American people, and the wider world. Our nations have always believed that we are more prosperous and secure when the world is more prosperous and secure. So we have a real stake in making sure they grow up in a world where schoolgirls are not kidnapped, women are not raped in conflict and families arent slaughtered because of their faith or political beliefs. That is why we have decimated core al-Qaeda and supported the Afghan people. And it is why we will not waver in our determination to confront Isil. If terrorists think we will weaken in the face of their threats they could not be more wrong. Countries like Britain and America will not be cowed by barbaric killers. We will be more forthright in the defence of our values, not least because a world of greater freedom is a fundamental part of how we keep our people safe.
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After a week of intense fighting, Ukraine's National Guard ceded the village of Novosvitlivka, near Luhansk, to pro-Russian separatist forces. Video shot on Septermber 3 by RFE/RL correspondent Andrei Babitsky shows remains of Ukrainian armored vehicles scattered around the village and a school destroyed by artillery fire. (RFE/RL's Moldova Service)
World leaders including Barack Obama, David Cameron and Petro Poroshenko convene in Wales for the 2014 Nato summit to discuss Iraq, Syria, Russia, Ukraine and Afghanistan
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Планы НАТО by Радио Свобода
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В четверг в Уэльсе открылся саммит НАТО, где главная тема - украинский кризис. Как решения Североатлантичес...
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State-owned oil giant Rosneft could fire as many as 1,000 employees, or 25 percent of the people working at the company, in an ongoing economy drive, a news report said Thursday.
Obama, Cameron: Countries Will Not be Intimidated by Militantsby webdesk@voanews.com (VOA News)
President Barack Obama and British Prime Minister David Cameron say their countries will not be intimidated by "barbaric killers." Their comments come after Islamic State militants killed two American journalists. The leaders co-authored an opinion piece in the Times of London newspaper as NATO officials take part in a summit in Britain. Obama has called for international action to counter Islamic State militants who have taken control of large areas in eastern Syria and northern and western Iraq. The group has released videos showing the beheading of American journalists James Foley and Steven Sotloff, saying their killings were retaliation for U.S. airstrikes in Iraq targeting the Islamic State. Obama plans to host a U.N. Security Council session later this month to address the threat posed by foreign fighters like those who have traveled to join terrorist groups in Iraq and Syria. U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said Wednesday that more than 100 U.S. citizens are fighting with the militants in Iraq and Syria, and that the United States and its coalition partners have to do everything possible to stop the Islamic State group now. Hagel said CNN television that the beheadings of Sotloff and Foley made him sick to his stomach. The president said Wednesday that those who killed the journalists have failed in whatever they are trying to achieve because the world is "repulsed by their barbarism." U.S. Vice President Joe Biden said the United States will relentlessly follow the killers of the two Americans "to the gates of hell." The militant speaking in the Sotloff video threatened the life of British hostage David Cawthorne Haines, who has been described as a security officer for aid agencies.
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NATO Chief Dismisses Putin's Ukraine Planby webdesk@voanews.com (Al Pessin)
NATO’s secretary-general has dismissed Russian President Vladimir Putin’s seven-step plan to end the fighting in eastern Ukraine, as alliance leaders gathered in Britain for their first summit in two years. Anders Fogh Rasmussen derided Putin’s approach as a “so-called peace plan.” He said, what counts is what is happening on the ground in eastern Ukraine, where the West says Russian troops are fighting with separatists against the Ukrainian military, a charge Russia denies. “We continue to call on Russia to pull back its troops from Ukrainian borders, stop the flow of weapons and fighters into Ukraine, stop the support for armed militants in Ukraine and engage in a constructive political process," he said. "That would be a genuine effort to facilitate a political solution. Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko will meet with NATO leaders Thursday, and Rasmussen said the alliance will make a joint declaration on the crisis, and agree on what he called “concrete steps” to enhance their cooperation with Ukraine. NATO is also planning to create a rapid reaction force to enhance its military presence in member states close to Russia, and to deter, and if necessary respond to, any Russian military moves in those areas. The secretary-general said the NATO leaders will also discuss the rise of the Islamic State militant group in Iraq and Syria, but for now he said it is up to individual members what to do about it. He said NATO would seriously consider any request from the Iraqi government to resume a training mission that ended two years ago, but no request has been received. Rasmussen welcomed unilateral action by several allies, including the U.S. bombing of Islamic State forces and humanitarian aid drops by several countries. Afghanistan The NATO leaders will also confer about Afghanistan, where their combat mission will end in December and they hope to launch an advisory and training mission next year. They are waiting for the results of the disputed Afghan presidential election to get the agreement signed. Rasmussen described this as a “crucial summit at a crucial time,” and one of the most important in the alliance’s history. But experts say NATO finds itself frustratingly limited in what it can do to address what Rasmussen calls the “dramatically changed security environment.” The alliance does not want to get into a major war, and many member countries face economic constraints and public skepticism, which have led to reduced defense spending. At London’s Chatham House, Xenia Wickett says the leaders need to make strategic changes at this summit, and convince their people to come along. “There’s a risk that the summit ends up being about putting out fires, rather than a more strategic summit about where NATO is going," Wickett said. "So one of the things I will be looking for is that the summit actually is framed and looks much further ahead for a more strategic vision of where NATO is going.” That has been a perennial question for the alliance since the Cold War. Now, it is being asked again in response to new threats, one of them from its old adversaries in Moscow.
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Kremlin warns Ukraine against joining NATOby Michael Birnbaum, Annie Gowen, Daniela Deane
MOSCOW — The Kremlin on Thursday underscored Russia’s opposition to NATO membership for Ukraine, warning that such a move could derail efforts to end the conflict in eastern Ukraine, as leaders of the alliance gathered for a key summit in Wales.
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More than anyone, President Vladimir Putin of Russia has set the agenda for NATO’s 65th summit meeting this week, which could well be the most consequential since the Cold War ended.
Early this year, the alliance was deep into one of its periodic assessments about the future as its role in Afghanistan was winding down. Now Mr. Putin, who has long been eager to see NATO weakened, has forced on it a new and urgent purpose by effectively invading Ukraine and demonstrating his utter disregard for the international system. He seems to delight in taunting the West, including supposedly telling a European official that he could “take Kiev in two weeks,” according to a report in the Italian newspaper La Repubblica.
The question is whether NATO is up to the challenge of pushing back against Mr. Putin’s expansionist tendencies, starting with the need to reassure Eastern European countries that feel most threatened by Russia’s push into Ukraine. While leaders of NATO’s 28 member states are expected to reaffirm the alliance’s core principle of common defense — an attack on one is an attack on all — when they meet in Wales, they have serious differences that could undermine the initiatives intended to deal with Russia and other threats.
The summit meeting’s centerpiece is a formal agreement on a new rapid-reaction force of 4,000 troops, capable of deploying on 48 hours’ notice to protect any NATO member from external aggression, which under the current circumstances means Europe’s periphery — the Baltic States and Poland. Wisely, alliance members have decided to abide by the NATO-Russia Founding Act, a 1997 agreement under which NATO pledged not to base substantial forces in Eastern Europe permanently, which could harden the growing divide and make a diplomatic solution to Ukraine, if one is still possible, more difficult.
There are no plans for new permanent bases or deployments, but troops will be rotated to that region for three- to four-month stints. The force will be supported with logistics and equipment, including weapons and fuel, pre-positioned in Eastern European countries closer to Russia. This will be enhanced by more military exercises and air patrols.
All this will take money, which has been a source of friction among NATO members. The United States bears about 75 percent of the alliance budget, while the contributions from most European countries have fallen. That’s partly because of the economic recession and because the United States has always filled any gaps. They are also divided on the threats. For instance, while NATO opposes Russian moves against Ukraine, Eastern Europe feels more directly threatened and determined to act than, say, Italy, which has been more willing to appease Mr. Putin.
The Europeans obviously have to do more, including increasing defense budgets and imposing sanctions on Russia that could finally cause Mr. Putin to reverse his dangerous course in Ukraine. They should use the Wales meeting to make clear they are prepared to back up their words with action.
Even as Russia preoccupies NATO’s attention today, the alliance should not revert to its Cold War role with Russia as its chief focus. The world will also be looking to NATO for leadership on dealing with the Sunni extremists, the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria. Because of other crises, Afghanistan appears to be getting less attention at this meeting. There are still thousands of American and allied troops on duty there, and NATO has to use its clout and aid money to press the Afghan presidential rivals to settle their election dispute so a president can take office.
NATO is strongest when its members are united in a common purpose, and it will take leadership — and not just talk — from the United States, Germany and others to produce a meaningful consensus.
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