Anders Fogh Rasmussen (centre) with ministers Radosław Sikorski (right) and Tomasz Siemoniak in Warsaw, Wednesday: photo - PAP/Paweł Supernak
The NATO secretary general added that plans were being drawn up to increase security on the alliance's eastern borders.
“Those steps might include enhanced exercises, revised defence plans and a proper deployment,' Rasmussen said at the start of a two-day visit to the capital, which will include talks with President Bronislaw Komorowski and Prime Minister Donald Tusk on Thursday.
Poland's foreign minister Radoslaw Sikorski said after the talks - which included defence minister Tomasz Siemoniak and General Mieczysław Gocuł, Chief of General Staff of the Polish Armed Forces – that though a political solution to the crisis in Ukraine was the goal, “right now, however, our duty is to assess the existing threat realistically and to adapt NATO actions accordingly.”
Despite President Putin claiming that “we have pulled our troops back” from Ukraine's border on Wednesday, Secretary General Rasmussen – who stands down from the top job in NATO in September – said he could see no signs of a withdrawal.
"On the claims that Russia is pulling back troops, I am not able to confirm that information; we haven't seen any signs that Russia is withdrawing its troops," he said.
There were signs however that Russia was looking for a diplomatic solution to the escalating crisis in the east of Ukraine, with President Putin calling on pro-Russian groups to delay referendums on leaving Ukraine.
Putin also called for talks between the interim government in Kiev and separatists in the east, who are currently occupying government buildings in over ten towns and cities in the region.
Ukraine's foreign ministry replied on Wednesday evening that, “the absolute priority for the government of Ukraine is a full-scale national dialogue with the participation of political forces, regional representatives and the public. But dialogue is impossible and
unthinkable with terrorists,” the ministry said in a statement.
Earlier on Wednesday, Herman van Rompuy, the president of the European Council, threatened Russia with more sanctions if Moscow does not take more steps to diffuse the tension in eastern Ukraine.
"We call on Russia to refrain from any steps to further destabilise Ukraine and instead to engage in a diplomatic resolution of the crisis. Further steps in destabilising Ukraine will call for additional sanctions," he said. (pg)
source: PAP/IAR/Reuters