Vladimir Putin makes first comment on the re-escalation of the situation in Ukraine. The Russian president accused NATO forces in participating in the conflict in Ukraine He said that the Ukrainian government does not want to solve the crisis peacefully. "We often speak of the Ukrainian army, but in reality there are divisions of the armed forces and the so-called official Nationalist battalion of volunteers. In effect, it is no longer an army but a foreign legion, in this case Nato"s foreign legion, which does not of course pursue the aims of Ukraine"s national interests," said the Russian president.
Putin"s statement was soon followed by the NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg"s answer.Nato"s chief has dismissed as "nonsense" a claim by Russia"s Vladimir Putin that the Ukrainian army operates as a "foreign legion" for the alliance, adding that the only foreign troops on the territory of Ukraine are the Russian troops and the separatists are supplied by weaponry by Russia.