Plan in works between Ukraine and pro-Russia Rebels
Following months of violence resulting from the February 2014 Ukrainian Revolution, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced plans for a cease-fire between Ukrainian forces and Pro-Russia Rebels on Sept. 3.
In a discussion with journalists in Ulan Bator, the capital of Mongolia, Putin announced a seven-point plan to end the conflict between the Ukrainian Army and Pro-Russia separatists.
In addition to requesting humanitarian aid for refugees and the restoration of destroyed infrastructure, Putin proposed a ceasing of “active offensive operations” between the Ukrainian army and eastern rebels, no use of military jets against civilians, complete prisoner exchanges without preconditions, and international monitoring of the ceasefire.
“Our views on the way to resolve the conflict, as it seemed to me, are very close,” said Putin in reference to a phone conversation with Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko.
In his own personal statements, Poroshenko expressed his approval of Putin’s proposal, and added that he hoped talks with separatists would be productive.
“[I] support Russia’s readiness to implement a joint plan for peaceful resolution [of the crisis],” said Poroshenko.
Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseny Yatsenyuk was quick to reject the cease-fire proposal, however.
“The real plan of Putin is to destroy Ukraine and to restore the Soviet Union,” he said.
Since the February 2014 Ukrainian revolution that saw the impeachment of former Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych, the Russian government under President Vladimir Putin has received international criticism for their military intervention in Ukraine – including the annexation of the Crimean peninsula and the subsequent referendum that saw the return of Crimea to the Russian Federation.
In a speech delivered in Estonia to reassure the people of the Baltic region that they will have NATO support should Russia invade, U.S. President Barack Obama emphasized the need for the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) to send an “unmistakable message in support of Ukraine this week.”
“No realistic political settlement can be achieved if effectively Russia says we are going to continue to send tanks and troops and arms and advisers under the guise of separatists, who are not homegrown, and the only possible settlement is if Ukraine cedes its territory or its soverigenty,” said Obama in the Estonian capital of Tallinn.
At the time of writing, the violence between Ukrainian soldiers and Pro-Russia Rebels outside Donetsk – the main rebel-held city in eastern Ukraine – threatened to throw the proposed cease-fire into jeopardy.
“There was mortar shelling around 20 minutes ago here in Spartak,” said a rebel fighter to a journalist from the National Post. “There is no cease-fire for anyone.”