Ukraine in Arabic | NATO and Pentagon consider the likely offensive in Eastern Ukraine
Kiev/ Ukraine in Arabic/ A Russian-backed separatist in Eastern Ukraine is likely to launch a new offensive. This statement was made on Wednesday, may 6, the U.S. Secretary of defense Ashton Carter.
According to him, the Russian-backed forces "are preparing for the next round of hostilities, contrary to the Minsk agreements," reports AFP news Agency.
Carter added that the U.S. continues to support the Ukrainian army radio communication, radar, armored vehicles and other nonlethal weapons. However, he stressed that the greatest pressure on Russia now have the economic sanctions and the fall in world oil prices. The Pentagon chief acknowledged the "greater weight" of the European sanctions, because Russia has much more trade links with Europe than with the US.
Previously about the possibility of a separatist offensive said the commander of NATO forces in Europe, General Philip Breedlove.
In particular, he noted that Russia and its supporters in Eastern Ukraine use the "silent mode" to regroup the troops. Ukrainian military do not exclude the possibility of attempts by separatists to seize Mariupol, the last major town in the disputed region controlled by Kiev.