Russian President Vladimir Putin said Saturday that he supports peace efforts in Ukraine, hours after ordering his forces to go on “full combat alert.”
The Kremlin’s contradictory moves came one day after Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko instituted a cease-fire, instructing his troops not to fire on pro-Russian separatists in the east of his war-torn country unless fired upon first.
Putin’s initial response to that peace gesture was ordering forces in central Russia to go on combat alert and conduct wide-scale exercises.
Putin’s war games were treated as hostile action.
“It can be seen as a further escalation of the crisis with Ukraine,” NATO spokeswoman Oana Lungescu said.
The Kremlin later gave a qualified backing of Poroshenko’s unilateral cease-fire.
“Vladimir Putin supports the decision of the president of Ukraine, Petro Poroshenko, to cease fire in the southeast of Ukraine, as well his stated intentions to take a number of concrete steps to achieve a peaceful settlement,” the Kremlin said.
“However, the Russian head of state drew attention to the fact that the proposed plan, without practical action aimed at the beginning of the negotiation process, will not be viable and realistic.”