NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said that Russia's active participation in battle against "Islamic countries" (IG) in the Syrian Arab Republic will not change the position of the Commonwealth concerning Ukraine.

"We will never accept that Ukraine could become the subject of bargaining," Stoltenberg said in the interview to the French newspaper Figaro. He said that NATO will not change its position regarding the sovereignty and integrity of Ukraine and will continue its support politically and in practice, and maybe expand the cooperation with Kiev.

"It is encouraging, the fact that (in the Ukraine) for the first time since early September observed a ceasefire. Moreover, the parties came to the agreement on the withdrawal of heavy weapons. This is another step forward, " said the Secretary-General.

Turning to the actions of the Russian Federation in the Syrian Arab Republic, Stoltenberg tried to convince the Russian Federation to cooperate constructively in the battle against ISIL and finding a political solution to resolve the conflict.

the head of the Russian Federation first asked the Federation Council for permission to use Russian armed forces abroad. The Federation Council blessed This appeal. The Ministry of defence of the Russian Federation informed that the Russian VKS aircraft began conducting air operations with the targeted killings by terrorists from the "Islamic country" in the Syrian Arab Republic. Russia wants to use only the aircraft, acting on the request of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, leading the fight against terrorists " Islamic countries ".

on Thursday, the Syrian Ambassador to Russia Riyad Haddad confirmed that the Syrian army strikes with the assistance of Russian aviation it is applied by terrorist armed groups, not the opposition or civilians. According to the Ambassador, the Syrian army has the exact coordinates of terrorists.

The Ukrainian authorities in April of last year began military action against the self-proclaimed LNR and DND. According to the final data of the UN, the victims of the conflict began More than 8 thousand people. The settlement of the situation in the Donbas region is discussed, as well as among them, during meetings in Minsk the contact group, which since September of last year had already taken 3 of the document, regulating the steps to de-escalate the conflict.

sections: Politics