NATO confirms that the Russian military is still present in the Donbas
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) confirms that Russian weapons and military are still present in the Donbas. This was stated by NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, in answer to a Evropeyskaya Pravda journalist’s question before the meeting of the NATO member countries' defense ministers in Brussels.
Stoltenberg noted that last week he discussed with the Ukrainian President the possibility of NATO exerting pressure on the Russian Federation.
"Russia continues to support the separatists, and its presence in the Donbas continues. Because of this, a special responsibility lies on them,” Stoltenberg said, referring to the fulfillment of the Minsk agreements. “We will continue to put pressure on Russia and to seek solutions for the Minsk agreements."
The Secretary General stressed that Russia must withdraw its troops and weapons and provide for the observers’ work in the Donbas. At the same time, he stressed that the Alliance could only apply political pressure in this instance. He did not reveal hard numbers on how much of the Russian presence was still in Donbas.
Stoltenberg also said that NATO intends to strengthen its efforts in countering Russian propaganda by using the newly created Strategic Communications Division.
"Russia supports groups that are trying to influence the internal politics of different countries with the help of propaganda, but we cannot respond with propaganda," he added.