AFP, London :
Russian actions in Ukraine are undermining the security of nations in Eastern Europe, British Foreign Minister Philip Hammond is to warn in a speech today.
His remarks come as NATO prepares for a major exercise in the Baltic states of Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia, where Russian involvement in an 11-month war in Ukraine has jangled nerves.
“We are now faced with a Russian leader bent not on joining the international rules-based system which keeps the peace between nations, but on subverting it,” Hammond will tell the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) in London, according to pre-released remarks.
“President Putin’s actions, illegally annexing Crimea and now using Russian troops to destabilise eastern Ukraine, fundamentally undermine the security of sovereign nations in Eastern Europe.”
Moscow denies Western accusations that it backs the heavily armed separatist militias fighting against Kiev forces in eastern Ukraine.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has acknowledged ordering the annexation of Crimea from Ukraine, in a move that sparked international condemnation.
The conflict has killed over 6,000 people according to the United Nations, and a shaky truce was strained on Monday as Ukraine accused the separatists of firing on government positions.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko says pro-Russian rebels in the east have withdrawn a “significant” amount of heavy weapons.
Speaking on TV, Mr Poroshenko said his government forces had also pulled back “the lion’s share” of their rocket and heavy artillery systems.
Under a ceasefire reached in February both sides were due to pull back heavy weapons by the beginning of March.
The ceasefire appears to be taking hold despite continuing clashes.
