“Putin Plan for Peace in Ukraine
MOSCOW – INTERNATIONAL NEWS – Russian President Vladimir Putin is proposing a peace plan for the Ukraine.
Putin outlined the plan while visiting Mongolia. “I very much count on Ukrainian leadership supporting this emergent progress in bilateral relations and using the positive work of the contact group to achieve a final and comprehensive resolution of the situation in southeastern Ukraine.”
The Russian President in a statement released today says, “In order to stop the bloodshed and stabilise the situation in southeast Ukraine, I believe that the parties to the conflict should immediately agree on and coordinate the following steps:
-
1. End active offensive operations by armed forces, armed units and militia groups in southeast Ukraine in the Donetsk and Lugansk areas;
2. Withdraw Ukrainian armed forces units to a distance that would make it impossible to fire on populated areas using artillery and all types of multiple launch rocket systems;
3. Allow for full and objective international monitoring of compliance with the ceasefire and monitoring of the situation in the safe zone created by the ceasefire;
4. Exclude all use of military aircraft against civilians and populated areas in the conflict zone;
5. Organise the exchange of individuals detained by force on an ‘all for all’ basis without any preconditions;
6. Open humanitarian corridors for refugees and for delivering humanitarian cargoes to towns and populated areas in Donbass – Donetsk and Lugansk regions;
7. Make it possible for repair brigades to come to damaged settlements in the Donbass region in order to repair and rebuild social facilities and life-supporting infrastructure and help the region to prepare for the winter.”
Residents in this area of Donetsk, in eastern Ukrainian, have been hiding in their basements, to escape the artillery shelling above.
Donetsk is a stronghold of pro-Russian separatists and their battles with nearby government forces are said to be raging.
Peace talks in Minsk are scheduled for Friday, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko says he’s hopeful the plan will work.
