KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukraine’s top diplomat is asking for stronger Western backing amid escalating tensions in the country’s east and a Russian troop buildup across the border. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said after talks with his counterparts from Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania that “words of support aren’t enough.” He asked the Baltic nations to reach out to other European Union and NATO members about offering “practical assistance” to Kyiv. More than 14,000 people have died in eastern Ukraine amid seven years of fighting between Ukrainian forces and Russia-backed separatists since 2014. Efforts to reach a political settlement have stalled, and violations of a shaky truce have become increasingly frequent in recent weeks.
