Belgium – AFP – 1/26/2015 – NATO said it will hold an “extraordinary” meeting of the alliance’s Ukraine Commission later Monday, after an upsurge in fighting between pro-Russian rebels and Kiev left dozens of people dead.
Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg will separately meet with EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini Monday as the deepening crisis put pressure on Brussels to tighten sanctions against Russia.
“At the request of Ukraine, there will be an extraordinary meeting of the NATO-Ukraine Commission at ambassadorial level this afternoon… in view of the situation in eastern Ukraine,” a NATO official said.
Over the weekend, NATO’s Stoltenberg urged Russia to “stop destabilizing Ukraine and respect its international commitments.”
“Fighting in eastern Ukraine has sharply escalated with indications of a large-scale offensive by Russian-backed separatists,” he said.
Mogherini’s meeting with Stoltenberg at NATO headquarters in Brussels was a further indication of the seriousness of the crisis.