"There is a danger that we are sliding into a new Cold War, which will be difficult to get out of. But on the other hand, we have work to do. We can help Ukraine in the process of finding a political settlement based on the territorial integrity," Jagland said, addressing the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE).
Ukrainian government forces have been fighting independence supporters of the country's South-East since April 2014. The armed conflict continued, despite a ceasefire deal, signed in September. The West and Kiev have accused Moscow of backing pro-independence militias, including providing direct military support. The Kremlin has dismissed the claims.
Blaming Moscow for the escalation of fighting in Ukraine, PACE on Wednesday decided to strip Russia of voting rights for a few more months. Jagland underlined his respect of the assembly's decision.
#Ukraine crisis: no ceasefire without political solution @coe Sec Gen #TJagland speech to Parliamentary Assembly http://t.co/NUc2CkDWNi
— Daniel Holtgen (@CoESpokesperson) 29 января 2015
He, however, pointed that the opportunity for dialogue with Russia remains open.
Relations between Moscow and the West have worsened since Crimea's reunification with Russia in March 2014. Accusing the Kremlin of interfering in Ukraine's armed conflict, the European Union, the United States and a number of other nations introduced several rounds of sanctions, targeting Russian energy, defense and banking sectors.
