Ukraine hopes for more NATO assistance amid escalating tension over Donbass

KIEV, April 14 (Xinhua) -- Kiev can use the help of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) to stop the escalation of the conflict in eastern Ukraine, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said during a joint briefing with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg in Brussels on Tuesday.

During his visit to Brussels, Kuleba said Russia's military presence along the Ukrainian-Russian border poses a threat to Ukraine.

"We are not planning any offensives or escalations. Ukraine is committed to diplomatic and political means of resolving the conflict," Interfax-Ukraine news agency quoted Kuleba as saying on Tuesday.

Kuleba noted that he discussed with Stoltenberg how NATO and its allies can support Ukraine amid rising tension.

"We need measures that will hold Russia and its aggressive intentions back. This could be a new round of sanctions... This can be direct support aimed at strengthening Ukraine's defense capabilities," said Kuleba.

The Ukrainian foreign minister arrived at the NATO headquarters in Brussels on Tuesday to participate in an extraordinary meeting of the NATO-Ukraine Commission.

Last week, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky told Stoltenberg that NATO membership was the only way to end hostilities in Donbass.

Russia, which has long opposed NATO expansion, said in a latest statement that it does not seek a war with Ukraine but is concerned for the Russian-speaking population in Donbass region.