Donetsk, Luhansk republics not terrorist organizations: NATO

NATO's secretary general says the military bloc will not brand the self-proclaimed republics of Donetsk and Luhansk in eastern Ukraine as terrorist organizations.

Jens Stoltenberg told a news conference at NATO headquarters in Brussels on Friday that the military alliance does not aim to categorize the pro-Russian forces operating in eastern Ukraine as terrorists despite such a request by Kiev.

Earlier in the week, the Ukrainian parliament officially declared the self-proclaimed republics of Donetsk and Luhansk as terrorist organizations, calling on the international community to follow suit.

Stoltenberg urged all the sides involved in Ukraine’s crisis to commit themselves to the Minsk peace agreement in a bid to end the deadly clashes in eastern Ukraine.

Back in September 2014, the representatives of Ukraine, Russia, Donetsk and Luhansk inked a ceasefire deal in the Belarusian capital, Minsk. The truce has been almost daily violated by both the Ukrainian military and pro-Russia forces in eastern Ukraine.

NATO's deployment of forces in Eastern Bloc

The NATO chief also announced the organization’s decision to deploy units in Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Bulgaria and Romania in response to what he called Russia’s “intimidating” actions.

"We are maintaining a continuous presence of our forces by rotation in the eastern part of our alliance.… This will be the biggest reinforcement of our collective defense since the end of the cold war," he stated.

The official did not mention the number of the forces to be deployed in Eastern Bloc, adding that the exact details of the deployment will be determined in the upcoming meeting of NATO defense ministers on February 5.

Trading blame for conflict

NATO-Moscow relations have been extremely tense in recent months. NATO accuses Moscow of supporting pro-Russia forces in east Ukraine, saying Russia’s military presence in Ukraine poses a security threat to all other neighboring states. Russia categorically denies the allegations, saying NATO is responsible for the flare-up in Ukraine.

The two mainly Russian-speaking regions of Donetsk and Luhansk in eastern Ukraine have been the scene of deadly clashes between pro-Russia protesters and the Ukrainian army since Kiev’s military operation started in mid-April in a bid to crush the protests.

Violence intensified in May 2014 after the two flashpoint regions held local referendums in which their residents voted overwhelmingly in favor of independence from Ukraine and joining the Russian Federation.

The fighting has left more than 5,100 people killed and over 1.5 million displaced, the United Nations says.

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