Ukraine Accuses Russia of Invasion

Kiev Orders Draft Reinstated as Obama Rules Out U.S. Military Response; Putin Remains Defiant

Kiev and its Western backers accused Moscow of sending Russian troops and armor to fight alongside rebels in eastern Ukraine, dimming hopes for a diplomatic solution to the crisis and prompting the U.S. and Europe to threaten new sanctions. Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko convened an emergency meeting of his security chiefs Thursday and vowed that "Ukraine can defend itself." He dispatched troops to meet the Russian-backed advance as his government ordered the reinstatement of a draft this fall—though it pledged not to send conscripts into the war zone.

 But while officials in Kiev called on Western capitals for support, including military aid, the initial reaction from the U.S. and Europe included expressions of frustration with the Kremlin but no immediate action. President Barack Obama ruled out a U.S. military response but said that the escalating incursion into Ukraine would bring more costs for Moscow. "It is not in the cards for us to see a military confrontation between Russia and the United States in this region," he said at a White House news conference.

 In an apparent sign of defiance, Russian President Vladimir Putin issued an appeal to the separatists early Friday, hailing their successes on the battlefield and calling on them to open corridors to allow encircled Ukrainian troops to escape. He demanded Kiev end its military operation immediately. His appeal used the word "Novorossiya," a czarist-era term for lands including much of what is now southern and eastern Ukraine that has been taken up by the separatists. Mr. Putin first used the term publicly in the spring, but he had since dropped it from official statements until Friday.

 Mr. Obama didn't detail any new consequences that the Kremlin might face, but the White House said later that he had discussed the situation with German Chancellor Angela Merkel and agreed that it was necessary to consider additional economic sanctions on Russia. "We want a diplomatic solution; we won't let up in this," Ms. Merkel said earlier in Berlin. "But we must observe that things in recent days have become more difficult and have deteriorated." The White House also said Mr. Obama would host Mr. Poroshenko in mid-September to show the U.S. commitment to stand with Ukraine. In Brussels, diplomats said a summit of European leaders set for Saturday could lay the groundwork for widening economic sanctions, but that there doesn't appear to be support for sweeping new measures.

 Mr. Obama also said further actions would be discussed at a North Atlantic Treaty Organization summit next week in the U.K. Russia's latest moves suggested that the sanctions so far weren't enough to serve as a deterrence, despite helping to push its economy into recession. The Russian benchmark Micex equity index fell 2% on the tensions, while the ruble weakened to the lowest level against the dollar in nearly six months. A senior NATO official said Thursday that more than 1,000 Russian troops were fighting alongside the separatists in eastern Ukraine, by far the largest such force ever reported by the alliance. But he stopped short of calling it an invasion, saying it represented an "incursion" apparently aimed at preventing Kiev's forces from defeating the rebels.

 NATO also released new satellite photos that it said showed Russian forces engaged in military operations in Ukraine. The photos showed Russian self-propelled artillery units moving through the Ukrainian countryside and setting up firing positions in the area of Krasnodon, NATO said. This and other evidence shows "a severe escalation in the situation" over the past two weeks, said Brig. Gen. Nico Tak, head of NATO's crisis-management center. NATO planned to hold an emergency meeting on Friday at the request of Ukraine.

 At a U.N. Security Council meeting, Russian Ambassador Vitaly Churkin did not deny there were Russians fighting in Ukraine, but said they were volunteers. "No one is hiding that," he said. Mr. Obama called the moves a continuation what Russia has done for months. "Russia determined that it had to be a little more overt in what it had already been doing, but it's not really a shift," the president said. A Ukrainian diplomat at the United Nations, Oleksandr Pavlichenko, urged the West to act urgently. "How many more red lines are to be crossed before this challenge is addressed?" he said.

More: http://online.wsj.com/articles/ukraine-accuses-russia-of-invasion-west-to-consider-sanctions-1409222768?tesla=y