(MENAFN- The Peninsula) Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said yesterday it was impossible to win the conflict in the east by force alone, and called for the removal of Russian troops.
"It is impossible to win the conflict just by military means," he said on a visit to the Ukrainian port city of Mariupol, where sporadic fighting has flared between government forces and pro-Russian rebels despite a ceasefire.
"The more we increase the pressure, the more Russian troops are on our territory," said the president. Poroshenko told reporters that the quickest way to achieve "stability and peace" in Ukraine was simple.
"Withdraw foreign troops and close the border and within a week we (will) find a compromise... I think the peace initiative is bringing us to this result," he said in English.
Poroshenko had earlier announced the release of 1,200 captives held by rebels, although it was not immediately clear if this was part of the ceasefire backed by Kiev and Moscow that was signed in Minsk on Friday.
He said there had been 10-12 violations of the truce each day but that if the accord was bringing home prisoners of war and saving the lives of civilians and soldiers "this means the ceasefire works". "I think we win (the war) but... more accurately we win the war."
Poroshenko announced that 1,200 captives held by pro-Russian rebels had been freed. "In the past four days, we have managed to free 1,200 of our prisoners," Interfax-Ukraine quoted Poroshenko as saying as he made a visit of solidarity to the flashpoint southeastern port city of Mariupol. It was not immediately clear if the release was related to a prisoner swap the warring parties agreed to under a truce deal hammered out on Friday aimed at ending five months of bloody conflict. Poroshenko tweeted on his arrival in Mariupol that the insurgents began shelling checkpoints outside the city after learning that he intended to visit for the first time since the fighting erupted in April.
"They thought they would frighten me. But no-one is afraid of them!" said Poroshenko, dressed in military fatigues for his visit to the only major city in the eastern conflict zone still under government control. "It is our land. We will not give it up to anyone."
Mariupol, a major port and heavy industry hub on the Sea of Azov, has been in the sights of rebels apparently seeking to carve out a land corridor between Russia and the annexed Crimean peninsula. Meanwhile, the head of the OSCE, calling for a political process and urging dialogue over sanctions said yesterday a shaky ceasefire in Ukraine alone is not enough to end the conflict,
"The ceasefire in itself alone is not enough," Swiss President Didier Burkhalter, who is acting head of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, told reporters in Geneva.
"We need a political process, national dialogue (and) dialogue between the two presidents," he insisted, adding that his organisation was "ready to help."
Burkhalter, who also serves as Swiss foreign minister, stressed the importance of the truce signed in the Belarussian capital Minsk Friday, warning that if it did not hold "things could get worse than before".
Legal Disclaimer:
MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.