Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko both confirmed today that a ceasefire deal has been reached, though both sides differed about whose idea it actually war.
Putin publicly laid out the terms of a “seven-point” peace plan for eastern Ukraine, with the first step being both sides ending their “active offensive operations” against one another. The goal is to finalize the deal on Friday.
Poroshenko’s own description of the plan claimed Putin had agreed to a deal with Ukraine, though the Kremlin issued a correction pointing out Ukraine and Russia aren’t actually at war, and that the deal is to end the eastern Ukrainian conflict.
Russia has been trying to negotiate an end to the war for months, and has been pushing deals on federalism and increased regional autonomy as the key to ending the internal war.
Analysts didn’t see much chance of the deal actually ending the war, saying it would be difficult to sell peace inside Ukraine ahead of October’s parliamentary elections. Ukraine’s ultranationalists, who are increasingly politically important, have been pushing precipitous acceleration of the war.
Ukraine’s government had been spurning peace deals when the war was going well on their side, but seems to be changing their mind with a recent rebel counter-offensive reversing their gains.
Good analysis. Putin seems to be panicking as he is forced more and more into the open and it becomes increasingly clear that there is not now, nor ever has been, a "rebellion" in Donetsk and Lugansk. There is nothing to show that anybody in eastern Ukraine wants federalism, autonomy, independence or annexation to Russia. By calling an election, Proroshenko has wrongfooted Putin and his US backers. Only Ukrainian citizens can vote or run for election and once a free and fair vote has taken place, supervised and certified by foreign observers (including Russians), those elected, and they alone, will, as members of the Ukrainian parliament, be be entitled to speak for the people of their province. If Putin or his "rebels" obstruct or try to falsify the vote, they will announce to the whole world that they do not beleive that have any serious electoral support in the population. Heads, Ukraine wins, tails, Putin loses. No Soviet leader ever did anything as stupid as Putin has done!
"No Soviet leader ever did anything as stupid as Putin has done!"
Yeah, because being cagey about events on Russia's borders is MUCH more stupid than Lenin's 1919 invasion of Poland, Stalin's 1939 Non-Aggression Pact with Nazi Germany, Stalin's 1940 invasion of Finland, Brezhnev's 1979 invasion of Afghanistan, etc.
You've got the makings of a standup comedy routine going, though, if Yakov Smirnoff is ever in the market for a straight man.
"There is nothing to show that anybody in eastern Ukraine wants federalism, autonomy, independence or annexation to Russia."
Right. Sure, all the dead and the Ukie Army losing thousands of men, it's all just being made up. They would much rather stay in a country that sets innocent people on fire and bombs their homes, threatens nuclear devastation and the removal of Russian as one of the national languages. Degenerate oligarchs and their hired thugs only care for the rights and personal freedoms of these people they are bravely abusing from afar, as they call them Moskals and beetles (as though the dumb Ukrainians should be looking down on anybody).
Russia knew eventually the regime Change machine would again come knocking at the door. And it did. So they had a little trap set. And the dumb f*ck Americans and their NATO EU poodles stepped right into it. Ya lost the narrative and ya ain't the good guys here.
Read this: http://consortiumnews.com/2014/09/02/whos-telling…
it will help you to become less stupid.
And why, pray tell, would the governments of the Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics allow a foreign invading army to hold an "election" in their countries?
I think the Russian speaking Ukrainians in eastern Ukraine do want independence but may settle for staying in Ukraine if given a lot of self control of their future .. There is no way they are going to let some nazi's exterminate them without fighting back . elections and the feeling of the majority in the east should rule the day for the east Ukrainians