Posted on 06/09/2014 12:13:24 PM PDT by Kaslin
The Financial Times reports Poroshenko opens talks with Russia.
Petro Poroshenko, Ukraine’s new president, has opened talks with Russia on restoring peace in two breakaway eastern provinces a day after taking office, vowing to negotiate an end to the three-month-old pro-Russian insurgency.
Mr Poroshenko took part on Sunday in a three-member “working group discussion” on a proposed peace plan with Mikhail Zurabov, Russia’s ambassador to Ukraine, and a representative of the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe, Iryna Friz, a spokeswoman for the Ukrainian president said.
The opening of dialogue came a day after the billionaire oligarch took office with a promise to “ensure lasting peace” in the country’s breakaway eastern Donetsk and Lugansk provinces, and on the same day that Ukraine’s military pummeled rebel positions in a heavy assault on the separatist-controlled city of Slavyansk.
Pro-Russian rebels, who fired back with machine guns and heavy artillery, said that an unspecified number of civilians in the city were injured or killed. Explosions were heard, some buildings caught fire, and columns of thick black smoke rose over the town on Sunday afternoon.
In his first speech as president on Saturday, the billionaire oligarch sounded a more emollient tone on making peace with the rebels than the uncompromising line favoured by his caretaker predecessors, who took power after February’s pro-Europe Maidan revolt.
Mr Poroshenko promised to allow easterners free use of the Russian language and move forward with a plan to decentralise government – core separatist demands – and the holding of new local elections in the east.
Peace Making
The peacemaking talk is off to a rather disingenuous start to put things mildly. Please consider Battles under way near Ukraine's Slavyansk and Kramatorsk.
Shooting resumed Sunday morning in the area of Slavyansk and Kramatorsk, the headquarters of Slavyansk self-defense forces told RIA Novosti. "Battles are now under way on the outskirts of Kramatorsk, in the area of the Yasnogorovsky state farm, as well as on the outskirts of Slavyansk, near the Mashmet," the militia informed.
The Ukrainian army continues to bombard Slavyansk (the centre and the districts of Artem and Vostochny), and its suburbs - Yampil and Semyenovka. The security forces use mortars and self-propelled launchers Tulip.
Images of Slavyansk
Reader Dmitriy provided a link these Images of Slavyansk.
More images in link.
Looks more like damage from shelling.
Video from a Slovyansk suburb after today’s shelling.
http://filmys.com/index.php/773-George/videos/video/702-semyonovka-after-the-battle.#.U5YN0H7D-M9
Strelkov, the local rebel commander, is saying that while the Ukrainian Army is fleeing from combat, leaving them plenty of Ammo and equipment, they can’t withstand the heavy artillery and airstrikes. They are reporting a bunch of civilian deaths from the bombardments.
The rebel mayor reported that at least 12 civilians were killed in the bombardments yesterday, including a 4 yr-old girl when an orphanage was shelled.
Just today, there are reports that the rebels supposedly captured 3 T-62’s, 2 Grad’s, and several trucks after ambushing a convoy.
It’s tough to weed through the extreme propaganda coming out of Kiev, and what the rebels are saying, to come up with a clear picture of what is happening, but most of the video and pics speak for themselves.
Meanwhile Kiev Government attempts to find a solution to the fighting
Good for the Ukrainians.
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