Ceasefire in eastern Ukraine expires
Iran Press TV
Mon Jun 30, 2014 8:48PM GMT
A ceasefire between Ukraine's government and pro-Russian protesters has come to an end without any immediate word about its extension.
The seven-day ceasefire, which was declared by Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko on June 20 and later extended to ten days, expired at 10 p.m. local time (1900 GMT) on Monday.
Before the ceasefire's expiration, Poroshenko discussed the situation with Russian President Vladimir Putin, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, and French President Francois Hollande during a four-way phone call.
According to France's presidential office the phone call was on ways to establish a full ceasefire by both sides.
Shortly after the talks Poroshenko said pro-Russian protesters had not 'fulfilled the conditions,' without providing more details about the conditions.
Earlier on Monday, a cameraman for Russia's state television was shot dead by Ukrainian forces in Ukraine's eastern city of Donetsk, says the broadcaster's press service.
Following the fatal shooting, the Russian Foreign Ministry released a statement, saying, "Ukrainian forces clearly do not want a de-escalation of the conflict in the country's east and are obstructing the already fragile truce."
Ukraine's mainly Russian-speaking parts in the east have been the scene of deadly clashes between pro-Russia protesters and the Ukrainian army since Kiev launched military operations in mid-April in a bid to crush the pro-Moscow protests.
The government in Kiev says it is targeting armed protesters, but reports say many civilians have been caught in the fighting.
The violence intensified after Donetsk and Lugansk held local referendums on May 11, in which the residents of the two eastern regions voted overwhelmingly in favor of independence from Ukraine.
SRK/AS/MAM
|
NEWSLETTER
|
| Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list |
|
|
|
