Ukraine's Poroshenko Pleads for European Help Against 'Hundreds' of Foreign Tanks
Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko pled for help Saturday from the European Union in defending itself against what he said are thousands of foreign fighters and hundreds of foreign tanks.
“Ukraine now is a subject of foreign military aggression and terror,” said Poroshenko at a press conference before a meeting in Brussels of the 28 European Union member countries. “Thousands of foreign troops and hundreds of foreign tanks are now on the territory of Ukraine.”
"There is a very high risk not only for peace and stability for Ukraine but for the whole peace and stability of Europe," said Poroshenko.
Poroshenko may be disappointed with European solutions, however. Leaders attending the meetings in Belgium were preparing to apply additional sanctions against Russia for its continued aggression in Ukraine, but it's not clear they will be a deterrent. According to the United Nations, nearly 2,600 people have died in clashes between the Ukraine and pro-Russian separatists since April.
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“We are in a very serious, I would say dramatic, situation,” said European Commission President Jose Barroso, at a news conference with Poroshenko. “We may see a situation that has reached a point of no return.”
The meetings come on the heels of reports from Russian state media claiming that pro-Russian separatists shot down four Ukrainian military aircraft on Friday.
This article was originally published at http://www.thewire.com/global/2014/08/ukraines-poroshenko-pleads-for-european-help-against-hundreds-of-foreign-tanks/379415/
