Putin not done in eastern Ukraine, NATO's top general says

reuters.com ^ | Phil Stewart and Adrian Croft | June 25, 2015

[Tailgunner Joe]

Russian President Vladimir Putin is not done in eastern Ukraine, NATO's top commander said on Thursday, cautioning that Russia has been building up supplies on its border with Ukraine and keeping its military options open.

U.S. General Philip Breedlove, NATO's supreme allied commander, said the border between Ukraine and Russia was "wide open," allowing free movement of equipment and supplies.

Force levels on Russia's side of the border had not changed much in recent months, Breedlove said, but U.S. military officials had observed in Russia a "stocking of important supplies, ammunition, etc, to levels that would support operations".

Inside Ukraine, where pro-Russian separatists are battling Ukrainian forces, Breedlove said "we see a force that has been trained, that is led by Russian leadership, ... and is ready to do whatever mission is required of it in the Donbass (region)."

"I don’t think Mr. Putin is done in eastern Ukraine," Breedlove told reporters, and Kiev, despite Moscow's hopes, was still looking to the West for support.

A fragile ceasefire has been in force in eastern Ukraine since February, but each side accuses the other of violations. Kiev fears Russia could commit troops to a push to extend control by separatist forces deeper into Ukrainian territory.

Russia denies having troops inside the country.

[Berlin_Freeper]

You look at the map there and that’s obvious.

[PGR88]

What is John Roberts going to do to save Obama’s project in the Ukraine?

[Tailgunner Joe]

Obama couldn’t find Ukraine on a map.

[ansel12]

That doesn’t matter, what matters is that he not stop our military, and the rest of NATO, from defending Europe from Russia.

[Cronos]

He's going to chew off all of the Ukraine east of the Dnieper and probably much of the black sea coastline.

This will end up creating a virulently anti-Russian (and anti-Polish) rump state of West Ukraine.