BRUSSELS/DONETSK, UKRAINE ¨C President Vladimir Putin said Monday that Russia is sending an aid convoy to eastern Ukraine despite urgent Western warnings against using humanitarian help as a pretext for an invasion.
With Ukraine reporting Russia has massed 45,000 troops on its border, NATO said there was a ¡°high probability¡± that Moscow could intervene militarily in the country¡¯s east, where Kiev forces are closing in on pro-Russian separatists.
European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso delivered a blunt message in a telephone call with Putin on Monday. ¡°President Barroso warned against any unilateral military actions in Ukraine, under any pretext, including humanitarian,¡± the commission said in a statement.
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