Wednesday, June 25, 2014

Ukraine foes cast doubt on ceasefire

Pro-Russian separatist at checkpoint outside town of Lysychansk in Luhansk region of eastern Ukraine. 24 June 2014
Pro-Russian fighters continue to occupy key buildings in cities across eastern Ukraine

Both sides in the Ukraine conflict have cast doubt on a newly called ceasefire, following the downing of a military helicopter on Tuesday.
Pro-Russia separatist leader Alexander Borodai said that in his view there had "been no ceasefire".
Ukraine's President Petro Poroshenko warned he might end the truce due to "constant violation by rebels".
Nato chief Anders Fogh Rasmussen has accused Russia of failing to "respect its international commitments".
In a statement, he said Moscow was "using a new different type of warfare against Ukraine" and he promised a "package of long-term support measures for Ukraine, including the creation of new trust funds".
Russia denies claims by Ukraine and the West that it is encouraging and arming the separatists.
Insurgents had agreed on Monday to observe a ceasefire, proposed by the Ukrainian government, until Friday, but on Tuesday the Ukrainian military announced that separatists had shot down an Mi-8 helicopter outside the rebel-held city of Sloviansk, killing all nine people on board.
Mr Poroshenko's office said gunmen had attacked government forces on 35 occasions since he ordered his troops to hold their fire.
Ukrainian government troops are controlling roadblocks in some parts of the east
The ceasefire is part of Ukraine's plan to end two months of fighting between government troops and pro-Russian insurgents who control key buildings in towns and cities across the east.
More than 420 people have been killed in the region since mid-April, the UN estimates.
line
Analysis: David Stern, BBC News, Kiev
One would suspect that the Ukrainian government's truce in the east is now a dead letter. Public outrage alone would seem to demand some sort of military retaliation.
And if the Ukrainian government uses force, then very likely the Ukrainian insurgents and their Russian comrades-in-arms will answer in kind. An escalation seems inevitable.
At this point, it is close to impossible to determine why the militants decided to carry out such a provocative act, just one day after they declared a ceasefire. Maybe this was some rogue element. Maybe the insurgents were never serious. Maybe Moscow told them to do it.
Whatever the reason, the hopes of just 24 hours ago, that Ukraine's east could finally see peace, if only temporarily, ring especially hollow.
line
Mr Poroshenko has instructed Ukrainian soldiers to fire back "without hesitation" if attacked and has not ruled out ending the ceasefire early, his office says.
Alexander Borodai, prime minister of the self-styled Donetsk People's Republic, accused government forces of launching attacks near the city of Donetsk and said there was effectively no ceasefire.
Food shortages in the besieged city of Sloviansk have led to rationing and long queues
"In general, all that is left to us is to continue fighting," he told Russian television.
He was speaking as Russian President Vladimir Putin asked the Russian upper house of parliament to revoke a resolution from 1 March authorising him to send troops into Ukraine. A vote is expected on Wednesday.
Mr Putin cautiously welcomed the truce but said he wanted Ukraine to begin direct talks with rebels, guaranteeing the rights of the Russian-speaking minority.
Mr Rasmussen was speaking before a meeting of Nato foreign ministers which will discuss, among other things, how Nato can help build up the military capabilities of Ukraine, which is not a member.
US state department spokeswoman Marie Harf has described the situation in Ukraine as "two steps forward, one step back". "We do see some positive signs on the ground," she told reporters.
Washington says it is considering further sanctions against Russia if it fails to rein in the separatists and continues - as the White House claims - to supply them with weapons.
On Friday, Mr Poroshenko is due to sign a free trade agreement with the EU - a pact that was rejected in January by then President Viktor Yanukovych under heavy pressure from Russia.
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