Russian troops in Ukraine 'an act of aggression'Channel 4 NewsSATURDAY30 AUGUST 2014Ukraine President Petro Poroshenko calls on the EU for an "adequate reaction", saying Russia has thousands of troops and hundreds of tanks in Ukraine.Russian troops in Ukraine 'an act of aggression' The EU is preparing the "next level of sanctions" against Russia as Ukraine rails against the presence of Russiantroops on its soil.But European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso said he did not want "a new cold war" that would be detrimental to all of Europe.Direct military aggression against eastern Ukraine is continuingKiev's defence and security councilUkraine PresidentPetro Poroshenkosaid in a tweet that the presence of Russian troops in his country was an"act of aggression", saying Russia now has thousands of troops and hundreds of tanks in his country.

View image on Twitter @poroshenkoFollowInvasion of Russian troops in Ukraine is an act of aggression and requires an adequate reaction from the EU 5:30 AM - 30 Aug 2014His defiant words follow the release ofsatellite imagesfrom Nato, which the it says shows over 1,000 Russian combat soldiers operating inside Ukraine armed with sophisticated weaponry.Ukraine's military said on Saturday that Russian tanks had been used to "destroy virtually every house" in one small town east of the border city of Luhansk, and that its military had been pulled out under pressure from Russia-backed rebels.

"Direct military aggression against eastern Ukraine is continuing," Kiev's defence and security council said in a separate Twitter post.

View image on Twitter @poroshenkoFollowAgression against Ukraine won't continue. We are too close to reaching peace. 7:13 AM - 30 Aug 2014European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso warned Russia on Saturday that the EU was ready to defend its principles in the confrontation over Ukraine, and called for a political solution before the crisis reached a "point of no-return".

"Russia should not underestimate the European Union's will and resolve to stand by its principles and values," Barroso told a joint news conference in Brussels with Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko.'Strong measures'Mr Barroso said the EU was prepared to toughen sanctions against Russia over the Ukraine crisis but that it wanted a political deal to end the confrontation.Russian troops in Ukraine 'an act of aggression' "We are ready to take very strong and clear measures but we are keeping our doors open to a political solution," he added.

He added the EU did not want confrontation, saying "it makes no sense to have ... a new Cold War" and that it would be "detrimental to all of Europe".

Russia's defence ministry denied Nato's claims that Russian troops were operating inside Ukraine, saying the reports "bear no relation to reality".

But Nato said the photographs showed a "blatant attempt" by Russia to "change the momentum of the fighting" in Ukraine in favour of separatist rebels.Russian troops in Ukraine 'an act of aggression' "Over the past two weeks we have noted a significant escalation in both the level and sophistication of Russia's military interference in Ukraine," said Brigadier General Tak of Nato's Comprehensive Crisis and Operations Management Centre on Thursday."The satellite images released today provide additional evidence that Russian combat soldiers, equipped with sophisticated heavy weaponry, are operating inside Ukraine's sovereign territory."We have also detected large quantities of advanced weapons, including air defence systems, artillery, tanks, and armoured personnel carriers being transferred to separatist forces in eastern Ukraine.He added: "Russia is reinforcing and resupplying separatist forces in a blatant attempt to change the momentum of the fighting, which is currently favouring the Ukrainian military."Posted byThavam