Ukraine officials, pro-Russia fighters start peace talks
Iran Press TV
Wed Dec 24, 2014 6:49PM GMT
Representatives from the Ukrainian government and pro-Russia forces have launched peace negotiations in Belarusian capital, Minsk, to reach a stable ceasefire in violence-scarred eastern Ukraine.
On Wednesday, Ukrainian and pro-Moscow envoys along with delegates from Russia and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe came together in Minsk to exchange viewpoints on the east Ukraine crisis and explore avenues to reaching a ceasefire.
The discussions, which are widely expected to include the withdrawal of heavy weapons from the conflict-stricken areas in eastern Ukraine and an exchange of war prisoners, are set to continue on Friday, when both parties involved in the conflict are expected to strike a final agreement.
A ceasefire agreement was signed between Kiev and the pro-Russians in Minsk on September 5, after Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko hammered out a compromise deal aimed at ending the heavy fighting in eastern Ukraine. The ceasefire entered into effect immediately.
However, the Ukrainian military and pro-Russians have repeatedly accused each other of violating the ceasefire.
The two mainly Russian-speaking regions of Donetsk and Lugansk in eastern Ukraine have been the scene of deadly clashes between pro-Russia protesters and the Ukrainian army since Kiev started military operations in mid-April in a bid to crush the protests.
Violence intensified in May after the two flashpoint regions held local referendums in which their residents voted overwhelmingly in favor of independence from Ukraine and re-joining the Russian Federation.
The West accuses Moscow of supporting the pro-Russia forces in eastern Ukraine. Russia has strongly denied the allegation.
MP/HMV/SS
|
NEWSLETTER
|
| Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list |
|
|
|
