Strategy Shift? NATO Urges Kiev to Observe Minsk Agreements

During his recent visit to Kiev, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg demanded Ukraine adhere to the Minsk peaceful plan to settle the Donbass conflict, Deutsche Wirtschafts Nachrichten reported.

"The main focus now is the implementation of the Minsk agreement," Stoltenberg said.

He added that Monday was the first day since the peace agreement was signed in February in which no violations had been reported.

The author underscored that there was a visible change of tone in NATO’s rhetoric. Previously, the alliance criticized Russia and blamed it for ceasefire breaches in the region.

It seems that Washington and Moscow have reached an agreement on Syria and are not interested in any escalation of the Ukrainian crisis, the author presumed.

What is more, Germany will now provide financial support to Kiev, so that is not a headache for other major powers, he added.

However, the article read that this could be a tactical maneuver by NATO as the US has unveiled plans to deploy its nuclear weapons to a German air force base.

The ceasefire has been observed in Donbass since early-September. However the OSCE warns that residents may not make it through the winter, according to the Local as water supply facilities are seriously damaged, and many areas are minefields.

The organization demands that Kiev withdraws troops from the contact line to conduct repair work in the territory.

In addition, Ukraine is still in political turmoil, the author wrote. An agreement to withdraw weapons and hold local elections is still to be reached.