NATO concerned by Russian military build-up near Ukraine

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg expressed the Western military alliance's "unwavering" support for Ukraine and warned Moscow on Tuesday not to push its troop buildup along Russia's border with the neighboring country.

At a news conference with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba, Stoltenberg called the Russian movements "unjustified, unexplained and deeply concerning."

The comments came amid a rise in cease-fire violations in eastern Ukraine, where Russia-backed separatists and Ukrainian forces have been locked in a conflict since Moscow's 2014 annexation of Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula.

More than 14,000 people have died in fighting in eastern Ukraine since 2014, and efforts to negotiate a political settlement have stalled.

Stoltenberg called Moscow's recent troop deployment the biggest military buildup since the conflict in eastern Ukraine began.

The Ukrainian foreign minister sounded defiant toward Moscow, and said Ukraine and its Western partners were better prepared than seven years ago.

"We have all tools available not only to prevent Russia from making a single step forward but also to make it withdraw from the occupied territories of Ukraine. Ukraine will re-establish its sovereignty and the entire security space in that part of the Euro-Atlantic region will be strengthened," Kuleba said.

A special NATO meeting Tuesday on Ukraine would make sure the alliance is not caught unawares, he said.

Ukraine has said Russia has accumulated 41,000 troops at its border with eastern Ukraine and 42,000 more in Crimea. The numbers are likely to grow as the troops keep arriving.

The Kremlin has maintained that Russia is free to deploy its troops wherever it wants on its territory and has repeatedly accused the Ukrainian military of "provocative actions" along the line of control and of planning to retake control of the rebel regions by force.

Kremlin officials charged that Kyiv's actions have threatened Russia's security, warning that Russia may intervene to protect Russian speakers in the east.

Underlying Tuesday's meeting is also Ukraine's wish to become a member of NATO over the vehement objections of Moscow.