Supreme Allied Commander Gen. Philip Breedlove attends a media conference at NATO headquarters in Brussels on Jan. 22. Breedlove told NPR on Thursday that "the conditions in eastern Ukraine have to change." Geert Vanden Wijngaert/AP hide caption

Supreme Allied Commander Gen. Philip Breedlove attends a media conference at NATO headquarters in Brussels on Jan. 22. Breedlove told NPR on Thursday that "the conditions in eastern Ukraine have to change."

NATO Commander Gen. Philip Breelove said that "hundreds and hundreds" of Russian troops are currently operating alongside separatists in eastern Ukraine, providing supplies, weapons and air defense in the battle against the Ukrainian government.

Russia has repeatedly denied that its forces are in Ukraine.

But in an interview with NPR Morning Edition host Renee Montagne, the general said that the Russian activity was beyond dispute.

"We all agree that there are Russian troops in eastern Ukraine," he said.

The U.S. has been providing non-lethal aid to Ukraine and the Obama administration has been weighing whether to send weapons.

In a related development Thursday, Secretary of State John Kerry was in Kiev, Ukraine's capital, discussing the fighting that has intensified recently.

"Clearly, what we see is that conditions in eastern Ukraine have to change," Breedlove said.

The United Nations says more than 5,300 combatants and civilians have been killed since pro-Russian separatists and Ukrainian forces began fighting last spring.

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NATO Commander: 'Conditions In Eastern Ukraine Have To Change'