US calls for aid convoy removal from Ukraine

The US has demanded that Moscow remove an aid convoy it sent into eastern Ukraine without permission yesterday, accusing Russia of a flagrant violation of the sovereignty of its former Soviet neighbour and threatening more sanctions.

Moscow, which has thousands of troops close to the Russian side of the border, warned against any attempt to “disrupt” the convoy, which it said was purely humanitarian; it did not say what action it might take if the Ukrainian military intervened.

Nato said Russian troops had been firing artillery across the border and within Ukraine in a major escalation of military support for pro-Moscow rebels since mid-August, a defacto charge that Russia was already waging war.