Pro-Russian separatists said on Saturday they were ready for a ceasefire with the Kiev government after increasing gains by Ukrainian forces against rebel forces.
“We are ready for a ceasefire to prevent the proliferation of a humanitarian disaster in Donbass,” Alexander Zakharchenko, prime minister of the self-proclaimed Donetsk people’s republic, said in a statement.
He warned that Donetsk, the main industrial hub which is the center of the rebel resistance, faced a lack of food, water, and electricity, but said the rebels were ready to defend the city of around one million people.
Ukrainian officials have said they are ready to agree a ceasefire but on condition the rebels surrender their arms.
That’s a reasonable request for these great humanitarians to abide by, isn’t it???
The rebel leader’s motive for offering a cease-fire was not clear but his comments could be aimed at increasing the pressure on Ukraine to allow in a Russian aid mission.
Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko issued a statement late Saturday saying that Ukraine is prepared to accept humanitarian assistance in eastern Ukraine.
But he said the aid must come in without military accompaniment, it must pass through border checkpoints under Ukrainian control and the mission must be international in character.
If Kiev gace a damn about their civilians, they would just agree to ceasefire, not one with surrender as a condition.
The rebels have been ready for a cease-fire for months, but surrender isn’t going to be part of it, I think.
The rumored Putin-Merkel ceasefire from a couple of weeks ago fell apart because Parubiy, the Actual Nazi in charge of the “ATO” threatened to resign and turn against the gov if it went through.
As I have said, it is Right Sector/Svoboda that is driving events in Kiev, and they have been since before the coup.
Now here is an interesting Tweet, from just a few minutes ago:
“Ukraine president poroshenko after phone talks with Merkel says ready to accept international humanitarian mission”
I wonder what that means?
“after increasing gains by Ukrainian forces against rebel forces”
Like losing control of the entire Southwest pocket, along with a hundred miles of the Ukraine-Russian border.
This is quite Orwellian.
There are reports of heavy fighting again near Suar Mogilia, the very important heights, with the rebels claiming it has changed hands a couple of times now, in the last two days.
Also heavy fighting being reported near near Krasni Luch, as Kiev keeps trying to cut the roads between Lugansk and Donetsk.