NATO pushing Russia to the brink with new sanctions

Despite mounting pressure on Russia to bring normalcy to the disturbed regions in east Ukraine, and the adamant attitude of Russia, NATO is formulating tough new measures that would be designed to halt Russian aggression in Ukraine news.sky.com. These would be unveiled on the second and final day of a NATO summit in Wales.
It is expected that both the United States and European Union would join hands and come together to announce a new round of coordinated economic sanctions against Russia. This has been reported by US and British government sources.
The proposed sanctions would include restrictions on some of the country's all important energy firms apart from travel restrictions.
Speaking on the sidelines of the NATO summit, the Deputy White House national security adviser Ben Rhodes has indicated that the key point is that Russia must continue to face costs for its own escalation. Or, in short, if Russia escalates, the others would also escalate their pressure.
The conflict in Ukraine is set to top the agenda for the second day of the NATO summit, with western leaders accusing Russia of sending thousands of troops into the east of the country.
NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen has cautioned that Russia's incursion into Ukraine poses the most serious security threat to Europe since the Cold War – of course, Moscow has consistently denied about any direct military involvement in Ukraine.
British Prime Minister David Cameron, US President Barack Obama and other senior NATO leaders have already met Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko who has announced plans to order a ceasefire. His condition is that a peace plan should be agreed upon during separate talks in Minsk which would be attended by representatives from Ukraine, Russia and pro-Russian rebel forces.,br> Incidentally, Russian President Vladimir Putin has also expressed hopes that a truce will come into force later, two days after he unveiled his own seven-point peace plan.
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Ukraine and Iraq high on agenda of NATO talks

As expected, Ukraine and Iraq would be high on the agenda of the NATO two-day biennial summit being held in the Celtic Manor Resort in Wales and being attended by world leaders news.sky.com.
A total of 28 heads of NATO states will be joined by a further 27 leaders from partner countries and heads of world bodies that would include the UN, EU, IMF and World Bank.
It is expected that there would be nearly 10,000 delegates and advisers, and 1,500 journalists and this would thus be the largest international gathering of its kind to be staged in the UK.
There will be heavy security of 9,000 police officers and a fence, 12 miles long and 9ft high will make up a ring of steel that will include road closures and checkpoints to prevent any terrorist attack.
The hot topics for discussions would be on how to respond to Russian aggression of Ukraine and the threat posed to the global community by the Islamic State (IS).
As British Prime Minister David Cameron has remarked - "It's hard to think of a NATO summit coming at a more important time for our alliance.
NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen has added that ‘in today's world we are, so to speak, surrounded by an arc of crisis. To the east, to the southeast, to the south - and at this summit we will address the whole range of security challenges and improve NATO’s ability to act swiftly if needed."
Incidentally, the brutal and gruesome murder of US journalist Steven Sotloff by IS fighters, will not change the official summit agenda but is expected to ensure intense and urgent talks on the sidelines.
The 28 NATO leaders have also agreed to meet Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko to hear what support his country wants – this is seen as a symbolic sign of solidarity which Kremlin should take note of.
In view of the fact that NATO is under pressure to harden its response to Russian incursions into Ukraine plans have reportedly drawn up for the creation of a new Rapid Reaction Force – it is expected to have 4,000 troops, on notice to deploy within 48 hours. The logistic and planning teams will be stationed in Poland and the Baltic States along with key equipment to hasten deployment.
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