NATO chief condemns Russian pressure on Ukraine

NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen criticised Russiaon Wednesday for pressuring Kiev not to sign a free trade pact with the European Union, a move that triggered mass protests. 

“An association pact with Ukraine would have been a major boost to Euro-Atlantic security, I truly regret that it could not be done,” Rasmussen said.

“The reason is well-known: pressure that Russia exerts on Kiev,” he added.

Rasmussen also condemned police violence against the protesters and pressed Ukraine’s leaders to assert their independence, urging closer ties with his North Atlantic Treaty Organisation and the European Union.