BRUSSELS, January 26. /TASS/. Ukraine has asked for additional military assistance from its partners, including NATO member countries, Ukraine’s ambassador at the North Atlantic Alliance Igor Dolgov said on Monday.

“We continue to cooperate with various countries, including NATO member states. And we have asked additional military assistance in case the situation deteriorates,” he said after an emergency meeting of the Ukraine-NATO commission. “As a military political organization, NATO will not supply lethal weapons to Ukraine.”

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday called the Ukrainian army “a NATO legion” that has the geopolitical goal to contain Russia.

Putin said incumbent Kiev authorities have given up the path of peaceful settlement of the current conflict in the country's east. The Russian leader also pointed out that the recent ceasefire in eastern Ukraine was used for regrouping by the government forces.

Last week it was reported that dead bodies in NATO uniforms and a great number of US-made weapons had been recovered from under the debris of the Donetsk airport.

Russian experts' opinion

Ukraine’s plea for additional military assistance from NATO countries disrupts the balance of forces in the region, Russian experts told TASS on Monday.

Earlier on Monday, Ukraine’s ambassador at the North Atlantic Alliance Igor Dolgov said his country had asked for additional military assistance from its partners, including from NATO member countries. “We continue to cooperate with various countries, including NATO member states. And we have asked additional military assistance in case the situation deteriorates,” he said after an emergency meeting of the Ukraine-NATO commission.

“Obviously, these actions in Europe are disrupting the military balance that has been preserved for the recent several years,” said Dmitry Abzalov, the president of the Centre of Strategic Communications. “Kiev has recently been maintaining active relations with the Alliance. It has been said representatives of private military structures, former NATO officers, as a matter of fact, are involved.”

“Ukraine’s representatives have reportedly tried to buy military hardware of the Soviet make from Eastern Europe,” he noted.

“Assistance may be in various formats - weapons, advisers, instructors, but Kiev want financial assistance,” said Alexei Mukhin, the director general of the Political Information Centre. “As far as I remember, last year a sum of 450 million euro was out of the Ukrainian defence ministry’s accounts. Where is this money? This year, as far as I understand, they will have a bigger sum missing.”.