Putin’s own Ukraine peace plan
Russian president urges rebels to ‘ stop advancing’ and calls on Kiev to pull out troops
Aday ahead of a Nato summit, Russian President Vladimir Putin issued his own peace plan for eastern Ukraine, calling on the Russian- backed insurgents there to “stop advancing” and urging Ukraine to withdraw its troops fromthe region.
Hours earlier, Ukraine had issued a vague statement about agreeing with Putin on ceasefire steps.
The separatists rejected the move, saying no ceasefire was possible without a pullback by Ukrainian forces, while Putin’s spokesman claimed that Moscow could not agree to a ceasefire because it was not a party to the conflict.
The back- and- forth came as President Barack Obama arrived in Estonia in a show of solidarity with Nato allies who fear they could be the next target of Russia’s aggression.
Nato is holding a summit in Wales today, with plans to approve a rapid- response team to counter the Russian threat.
Russian President Vladimir Putin yesterday called on both Ukrainian rebels and government forces to cease fire and agree to the broad terms of a truce ending their four- monthwar.
Putin’s first direct appeal on the insurgents to lay down their weapons came hours after the beleaguered Ukrainian president, Petro Poroshenko, said he and Putin had agreed on a ceasefire deal. The announcements raised hopes of an end to fighting that has killed at least 2,600 people and driven relations between Russia and theWest to their lowest ebb since the ColdWar.
Putin outlined a seven- point peace plan that included the end “of active offensive operations by the [ Ukrainian] armed forces and armed rebel units in the southeast of Ukraine.”
Final agreement
The Russian leader added that he expected a final agreement to be announced by the insurgents and Kiev representatives during European- mediated negotiations tomorrowinMinsk.
Poroshenko’s office said the two presidents agreed by telephone on “a permanent ceasefire in Donbass [ eastern Ukraine].”
“An understanding was reached concerning steps that will help to establish peace,” a statement said.
Putin’s appeal
to
the
rebels came in advance of a Nato summit today at which the Western military bloc is expected to approve a new rapid reaction force for defending eastern Europe.
On Tuesday, Putin had said that Russian forces could conquer the Ukrainian capital, Kiev, in twoweeks if he so ordered, the Kremlin has confirmed. Moscow declined to deny that the president had spoken of taking Kiev in a phone conversation last Friday with Jose Manuel Barroso, theoutgoingpresidentof theEuropean commission.