Ukraine: No troops withdrawal without full truce
Iran Press TV
Sun Sep 21, 2014 3:54PM GMT
Ukraine will not pull its troops out of the restive eastern regions of the country until the agreed ceasefire between Kiev and pro-Russians is fully implemented, a Ukrainian official says.
On Sunday, Andriy Lysenko, a spokesman for Ukraine's National Security and Defense Council, accused pro-Russian forces of jeopardizing the shaky ceasefire in the volatile east, saying the truce, declared on September 5, had to be respected before the rest of the plan takes effect.
Lysenko's comments come after representatives from the Ukrainian government and pro-Russians on Saturday agreed to cease fighting and create a demilitarized zone in order to bring lasting peace to eastern Ukraine.
The nine-point deal includes creating a 30-kilometer (18-mile) buffer zone and a ban on Ukrainian fighter jets flying over the conflict zone.
"The first point has not yet been fulfilled, so we cannot speak about the other points," Lysenko said, referring to the proposed buffer zone.
The Ukrainian official said two Ukrainian soldiers have been killed and eight more wounded during the past 24 hours.
Meanwhile, members of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic say Ukrainian forces continue their deadly war against pro-Russians in the eastern city despite the ceasefire being still in place.
Ukraine's mainly Russian-speaking regions in the east have witnessed deadly clashes since Kiev launched military operations to silence the pro-Russians in mid-April. More than 2,700 people have been killed in the conflict.
Kiev and Western powers accuse Moscow of masterminding the conflict and of sending troops to back anti-government forces in the region.
No convincing proof, however, has been provided to back the claims against Moscow. Russian officials have repeatedly denied the accusations as well.
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