ALAN CULLISON, COLLEEN MCCAIN NELSON AND STEPHEN FIDLER
The U.S. and Europe moved to toughen sanctions on Moscow over the Ukraine crisis amid signs that some countries could go even further and send weapons to Kiev—ratcheting up the pressure on pro-Russia rebels a day ahead of peace talks.
At a summit of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization in Wales, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko expressed what he called “careful optimism” that a cease-fire would be agreed to Friday in the Belarusian capital of Minsk—in part because Russian President Vladimir Putin had proposed it himself.
But it wasn’t clear whether the Russian and Ukrainian proposals were compatible; Putin’s plan calls for Ukraine to pull back its forces and leave the rebels in control of some territory.
Western officials were skeptical of Moscow’s intentions. NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said past cease-fires had “just been a smokescreen” to hide continuing destabilization by Moscow of Ukraine.
NATO officials also said that Russia has “several thousand” combat troops in Ukraine using hundreds of tanks and combat vehicles. In addition, the Pentagon said the Russian troops along Ukraine’s border now represent the most capable force Moscow has deployed to the area since the crisis began.
President Barack Obama met at the NATO summit with the leaders of Ukraine, U.K., Italy, Germany and France, and all agreed that additional costs should be imposed on Russia for its continued support of separatists in Ukraine, according to the White House.
“Russia must continue to face costs for its own escalation,” Deputy National Security Adviser Ben Rhodes said. “If Russia escalates, we stand prepared to escalate our pressure.”
Reuters
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