Rasmussen again calls on Moscow to withdraw troops from Ukraine

 The events in eastern Ukraine , where the pro-Russian  action actions are taking pace cause a major concern of the international community, Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen stated on Tuesday at a press conference in Paris. In this regard, the alliance leader called on  Russia " to make a step back" and withdraw troops from the border with the neighboring country , reports Reuters. According to Rasmussen , any further activity of both parties in Eastern Ukraine will be considered a serious escalation of the conflict,  and not the de-escalation.

The NATO Secretary General said that Moscow should  withdraw "tens of thousands of troops."  The West does not possess an information on  the accurate number of the military on the border with Ukraine. According to the OSCE , Russia  is attracting tens of thousands of troops on the border areas.

Rasmussen warned the Russian leadership that a possible "invasion" to Ukraine would have "serious consequences", the Russian Federation will make a "historic mistake", he stressed. According to the UN Secretary General , this step is extremely negative impact on the relationship of the members of the alliance with Russia, and will lead to further international isolation of Moscow.

Meanwhile, NATO will revise  previously concluded  basic agreements with Russia. According to the NATO leader,  Founding Act Russia-NATO - on Mutual Relations , Cooperation and Security in 1997, and the Rome Declaration of 2002 will be  revised, according to Reuters. At the same time, NATO Armed Forces will strengthen cooperation with Kiev.

According to the  NATO Secretary General, Ukrainian crisis showed that "we can not consider our safety for granted " – we must be ready to pay for it. Rasmussen complained  that in recent years, some alliance allies in the EU have reduced their defense spending , while Russia , by contrast, significantly increased its military budget. -02D-