Credit: Reuters/Valentyn Ogirenko
Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko speaks in the Ukrainian parliament in Kiev July 3, 2014.
Earlier, Interior Minister Arsen Avakov said a large number of pro-Russian separatists had fled the flashpoint city following sustained fire from Ukrainian forces.
Poroshenko's website said the newly appointed head of the armed forces general staff had told him separatist fighters came under mortar fire as they tried to break through government forces' lines. The separatists had lost one tank and other armored vehicles.
'The President gave the order ... for the state flag to be raised on Slaviansk's town council offices,' the website said, referring to one of the main buildings where the rebels had been based.
(Writing by Richard Balmforth; Editing by Louise Ireland)
Entities 0 Name: Petro Poroshenko Count: 1 1 Name: Kiev Count: 1 2 Name: Poroshenko Count: 1 3 Name: Ukrainian Count: 1 4 Name: Arsen Avakov Count: 1 5 Name: Slaviansk Count: 1 6 Name: Louise Ireland Count: 1 7 Name: Richard Balmforth Count: 1 8 Name: Interior Count: 1 Related 0 Url: http://ift.tt/1qWrnbc Title: Ukraine Ready to Hold Fresh Talks with Separatists Description: Ukraine's President Petro Poroshenko says Ukraine is ready to hold a new round of talks with pro-Russian separatist leaders and Russian officials on Saturday. Poroshenko's office said Friday that he told European Union foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton in a telephone call that he had suggested a time and place for the talks and is "waiting for confirmation from the other party."
