Ukraine President to Propose Ceasefire With Separatists

Ceasefire Will Be Offered Later This Week

Speaking today at a press conference ahead of a national security council meeting, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko announced that he intends to propose a ceasefire with the eastern separatist factions.

Poroshenko said the ceasefire would officially be offered later this week, and would only come after the military has seized the Russian border back from the rebels.

Poroshenko argued that it would be “irresponsible” to make a ceasefire while the border  remains open, and said that while he was open to “amnesty” for protesters it wouldn’t include those involved in violence in the east.

So far there is no response from the separatists on the prospect of a ceasefire, but they seem unlikely to willingly give up without some concessions made ahead of time.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.