MOSCOW, August 29 (RIA Novosti) - A secure border between Russia and Ukraine should be urgently ensured, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said Friday at a press conference in Bali.
“I'm gravely concerned by the deteriorating situation in Ukraine," Ban said. “There is an urgent need to ensure a secure border between the two countries with international verification.”
On Thursday, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said that Russian troops had entered Ukraine. The statement came as NATO released satellite images that it claimed were showing Russian self-propelled artillery on Ukrainian territory. The alliance said about 1,000 Russian servicemen were taking part in hostilities in eastern Ukraine.
Washington failed to verify the information, US State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said, adding however, that the State Department had “no reason to doubt their [NATO's] assessment.”
Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov said Thursday that there was no sense to comment on what NATO’s claims of photographs of Russian troops in Ukraine.
“You know, it has become ridiculous. … If earlier, someone would at least put their names to those images, be it Breedlove, Rasmussen, or even Lungescu, now, they are hesitant. It makes no sense to seriously comment on this," Konashenkov said.
In mid-April, Kiev launched a military operation against independence supporters in the southeast of Ukraine after they refused to recognize the legitimacy of the country’s coup-imposed government.
According to the United Nations, more than 2,000 people have died as a result of the confrontation, and more than 4,950 people have sustained injuries in the fighting.
