Ukraine has U. S. arms: Putin
Putin says weapons ‘ already being delivered’ as battle rages for rail hub
Under a nearconstant barrage of artillery fire, Ukrainian forces and separatist rebels fought fierce street battles Tuesday for control of the strategic railway hub of Debaltseve, a battle impeding implementation of a peace plan.
Ukraine denied rebel claims to have taken control of the town, but acknowledged the separatists had seized parts of it. The battle came despite a weekend ceasefire that obliged both sides to start moving back their heavy weaponry and amid concerns over whether the United States will decide to send lethal weapons to Ukraine.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said Tuesday at a news conference in the Hungarian capital, Budapest, that “according to our information, these weapons are already being delivered.” He did not elaborate but said the consequences of new weapons for Ukraine would be “the number of victims, of course, can increase. But the result will be the same as it is today. This is unavoidable.”
He also suggested the Ukrainian forces in Debaltseve should lay down their arms.
“I reckon that the leaders of the fighters ... would not hold these people, prevent them from leaving the conflict zone and returning to their families,” he said.
A key railroad junction between the separatist east’s two main cities of Donetsk and Luhansk, Debaltseve has been the focus of fighting over the past two weeks, and capturing it would be a prize for the Russia- backed rebels.
The defence ministry said battles continued there Tuesday and government soldiers had been ambushed and taken prisoner, but gave no details on how many were seized. Rebel spokesman Eduard Basurin said hundreds of Ukrainian soldiers had surrendered in Debaltseve.
Journalists from The Associated Press were turned back by Ukrainian forces at Luhanske, a village about 15 kilometres north of Debaltseve, and were unable to assess the status of the fight.
The leader of the self- proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic, one of two separatist entities, was wounded in the leg and hospitalized in the neighbouring Luhansk region, Russia’s RIA- Novosti news agency quoted a Luhansk rebel official as saying. Alexander Zakharchenko’s life was not in danger, the report said.
Associated Press reporters saw near- constant artillery rounds fired Tuesday from Ukrainian government positions at rebel fighters around Debaltseve. Sustained shelling was heard in the area all morning, some coming from Grad rocket launchers.
The Ukrainian presidential office called on the European Union and NATO to condemn the Russian- backed rebels for violating the ceasefire brokered by the leaders of Ukraine, Russia, Germany and France last week.
Rebel commander Vladimir Kononov said most of Debaltseve was under separatist control and urged the Ukrainian troops to surrender.
“Their only choice is to leave behind weaponry, lay down arms and surrender,” he said on Russian television.
The announcement by the rebels came after fierce fighting that appeared to be focused on Debaltseve. Both sides in the conflict claim the town is on their side of the ceasefire line.