Ukraine: Nato to meet amid claims of Russian invasion
The Ukrainian government says its forces are now fighting Russian troops, not Russian-backed separatists

Emergency meetings have been called by Nato, the United Nations and the European Union after Kiev accused Moscow of a de facto invasion and Barack Obama said Russia was engineering the violence in Ukraine.
The US president said that fighting was not the result of an internal uprising, but of "deep Russian involvement", the BBC reports. President Poroshenko of Ukraine accused Russia of sending troops and armoured vehicles to fight in the southeast of his country.
The US national security council will meet at the White House and Nato and EU leaders will also discuss their options later today. An emergency session of the UN Security Council has been convened.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Russia denies that it has sent any troops to eastern Ukraine, but Nato said that satellite photographs released yesterday showed that Russian armoured vehicles and artillery had been moving across the border from Russia into Ukraine for up to a week, The Guardian reports.
Speaking at a news conference in Washington, Obama pointed the finger at Russia's role in a conflict that has killed more than 2,000 people. "There is no doubt that this is not a home-grown, indigenous uprising in eastern Ukraine," he said.
"The separatists are trained by Russia, they are armed by Russia, they are funded by Russia. Russia has deliberately and repeatedly violated the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine and the new images of Russian forces inside Ukraine make that plain for the world to see."
However, Obama repeated that there would be no American military response to the latest developments.
Ukraine's prime minister, Arseny Yatsenyuk, asked the EU and US to put a freeze on Russian assets. Angela Merkel, the German chancellor, said the EU would discuss its response to the accusations at a summit this weekend and hinted at the possibility of further sanctions.
The Ukrainian military confirmed that its soldiers had been forced to withdraw from Novoazovsk to defend the strategically important coastal town of Mariupol. Ukraine insisted that its forces are now fighting "Russian troops" rather than pro-Russian separatists along the country's southeastern coast.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
5 low ratings cartoons about the Late Show cancellation
Cartoons Artists take on early warning signs, the Gen Z stare, and more
-
Connie Francis: Superstar of the early 1960s pop scene
In the Spotlight The 'Pretty Little Baby' and 'Stupid Cupid' singer has died aged 87
-
Crossword: July 26, 2025
The Week's daily crossword puzzle
-
Why are Ukraine's anti-corruption issues roaring back into focus now?
TODAY'S BIG QUESTION A new bill curbing anti-corruption bodies prompted Ukraine's first mass protests against President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in years. Where are the roots of this domestic unrest, and what could it mean for Ukraine's future?
-
Trump threatens Russia with 'severe tariffs'
speed read The president also agreed to sell NATO advanced arms for Ukraine
-
Trump U-turns on weapons to Ukraine
Speed Read Unhappy with Putin, Trump decides the US will go back to arming Ukraine against Russia's attacks
-
Ukraine scrambles as Trump cuts weapons deliveries
Speed Read The halting of weapons shipments was driven by Pentagon policy chief Elbridge Colby, a Ukraine funding skeptic
-
One year after mass protests, why are Kenyans taking to the streets again?
today's big question More than 60 protesters died during demonstrations in 2024
-
Why are military experts so interested in Ukraine's drone attack?
TODAY'S BIG QUESTION The Zelenskyy government's massive surprise assault on Russian airfields was a decisive tactical victory — could it also be the start of a new era in autonomous warfare?
-
Ukraine hits Russia's bomber fleet in stealth drone attack
speed read The operation, which destroyed dozens of warplanes, is the 'biggest blow of the war against Moscow's long-range bomber fleet'
-
On VE Day, is Europe alone once again?
Today's Big Question Donald Trump's rebranding of commemoration as 'Victory Day for World War Two' underlines breakdown of post-war transatlantic alliance