Ukrainian president suggests introduction of UN peacekeeprs

Based on Hromadske’s article

The President of Ukraine, Petr Poroshenko, held a telephonic conversation with the leaders of the Normandy Four (Normandy Format): the President of France Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Russian President Vladimir Putin on matters concerning the resolution of the conflict in the Donbass region of Ukraine.

Moreover, those participating in the phone call listened to the report of the Chairman of the Special Monitoring Mission of the OSCE in Ukraine, Yerturul Apakan, and his deputy Aleksandr Hur – reported the press service of the presidential administration.

Hromadskoe reported that, during the two-hour conversation, Poroshenko emphasized the importance of the introduction of UN peace-keeping forces in Donbass. Sources from the presidential administration confirmed to Hromadskoe that if Russia vetoes the decision in the UN Security Council, this ‘will prove to the entire world, that Russia is the aggressor and the source of conflict. She [Russia] did so already by vetoing the tribunal concerning MH17’. Hromadskoe journalists were able to clarify that the Ukrainian side has not rejected the possibility of an armed deployment of the OSCE.

Apart from this, participants in the negotiations agreed upon concrete security initiatives and to continue work on the road map towards the implementation of the Minsk agreement. In the second half of August, a meeting between international advisors of the Normandy Four is supposed to take place in order to discuss this issue.

The leaders of France and Germany made statements concerning the impossibility of the creation of a state known as ‘Little Russia’ or ‘Russia Minor’. This was a response to the announcement of the head of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic, Aleksandr Zakharchenko.

Ukraine has again insisted upon the quick and speedy liberation of all hostages, including those who are being illegally held on the territory of Russia in addition to a complete and utter ceasefire, the withdrawal of heavy infantry and weaponry and espionage activity as well as a 24-hour monitoring mission by the Special Monitoring Mission of the OSCE.

The deputy head of the OSCE Mission in Donbass, Alesandr Hur, noted in a comment to Hromadskoe that in the report presented to the leaders of the Normandy Four, the worsening of the situation along the line of contact in Donbass was noted in addition to the obstacles that observers faced; a number of these cases have been noted by fighters of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic and the Luhansk People’s Republic.

“A straightforward dialogue for concrete action. The confirmation of the cooperation of Berlin, Paris, Moscow and Kiev for the resolution of the Ukrainian crisis”, wrote the President of France after the telephone conversation of the heads of state of the ‘Normandy Four’.

The G20 Summit was held between 7-8 July, in the German city of Hamburg. During a meeting consisting of Merkel, Putin and Macron, an agreement was reached to continue pursuing the aims of the Minsk agreement. German Chancellor Angela Merkel, the newly-elected president of France Emmanuel Macron and Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed upon the complete necessity of holding a telephone conversation between the heads of state of the ‘Normandy Four’.