U.S. Senator John McCain has said that reports of Russian troops and heavy equipment moving deep into Ukrainian territory have confirmed that the ceasefire agreement in Donbas is "effectively dead," reports GHN based on Ukrinform.
The text of the statement has been posted on the personal page of the senator.
"No one should be surprised by reports today that large columns of Russian tanks, artillery, and military personnel have moved back into eastern Ukraine. If true, this would be the latest and most conclusive reason to believe that the ceasefire agreement is effectively dead," the document says.
McCain said that "the United States and Europe need to stop assuming that the provision of lethal military assistance to Ukraine would provoke President Putin into further aggression." What is most provocative to Putin, according to the senator, is "U.S. and European unwillingness to take these steps, and the perception of weakness it fosters."
"If confirmed, today's reported Russian re-invasion of Ukraine should lead to an immediate escalation of U.S. and E.U. sanctions. More importantly, we must also provide our Ukrainian partners with the military capabilities to defend their sovereign territory and resist Putin's aggression," the U.S. senator said.
According to McCain, if the West does not do that, Putin "will continue trying to devour more and more of Ukraine for his new Russian empire."