Tuesday 01 July 2014 07.07
A man holds a sign reading 'We chat - they kill!' at a rally by Maidan activists at Independence Square in Kiev
The speaker of Russia's lower house of parliament has called for a new ceasefire in east Ukraine, Interfax news agency reported.
'We think that without a truce, without the start of dialogue, it is simply impossible to restore peace, justice and law and order in Ukraine,' Sergei Naryshkin said.
Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has said government forces would renew offensive operations against rebels and 'free our lands', hours after a ceasefire to allow for peace talks with the pro-Russian separatists had expired.
Mr Poroshenko, who accuses Russia of fanning violence in eastern Ukraine, dismissed Moscow's offers to defuse the crisis, and blamed the rebels for failing to keep to the truce or follow a peace plan he had outlined. 'We will attack and free our lands. The decision not to continue the ceasefire is our answer to terrorists, militants and marauders,' he said in a televised statement delivered in front of the blue-and-yellow Ukrainian flag. The announcement came after a four-way phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin and German and French leaders aimed at helping end the crisis in Ukraine's Russian-speaking east where government forces have been battling rebels since April. Mr Poroshenko had extended a government ceasefire last week until 10pm (8pm Irish time) yesterday to allow for peace talks with the so-called contact group involving separatist leaders, a former Ukrainian president, a senior representative of the OSCE rights and security body and Moscow's ambassador to Kiev.
Moscow could face more penalties from the European Union on top of existing asset freezes and visa bans unless pro-Russian rebels act to wind down the crisis in the Ukraine's Donetsk and Luhansk provinces. Before his announcement, Mr Poroshenko had met with security chiefs, some of whom had called against a ceasefire extension because of military losses and fears that the rebels were using it as an opportunity to regroup and rearm. A statement tweeted by the Foreign Ministry said 27 Ukrainian servicemen had been killed and 69 wounded since the ceasefire began on 20 June.
Mr Putin had urged during the telephone call for an extended ceasefire, a Kremlin statement said. At Mr Putin's request, the Russian parliament last week revoked the right it had granted him in March to invade Ukraine in defence of its Russian-speakers. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told state TV Moscow was ready to allow OSCE security and rights watchdog monitors and Ukraine's border guards to enter the Russian side of the border for joint control. Kiev accuses Russia of letting fighters and weapons to cross the porous border into eastern Ukraine. 'The revocation of permission (by lawmakers) to send Russian troops into Ukraine was positive but symbolic,' Mr Poroshenko said.'We also did not expect any concrete steps on the de-escalation of the situation, including boosting control over the border.' EU leaders said on Friday they were ready to meet again at any time to adopt more sanctions on Russia. Diplomats said they could target new people and companies with asset freezes as early as next week. More than 60 names are already on the list. Although it has drawn up a list of hard-hitting economic sanctions, the EU is still hesitating over deploying them because of fears among some member states of antagonising Russia, their major energy supplier. Mr Poroshenko, who had been under Western pressure to extend the ceasefire, faced rising anger at home over the military deaths. Local media said hundreds of people had gathered outside of his administration building in Kiev in anticipation of a statement on the fate of the truce. In eastern Ukraine's flashpoint city of Slaviansk, a rebel stronghold since separatists took over the city in April,shelling could be heard, though it was unclear from which direction it was coming from. Mr Poroshenko said he was willing to return to a ceasefire 'at any moment' if it became clear that all sides were ready to carry out all aspects of the peace plan, including the freeing of hostages and creating effective border controls.
Entities 0 Name: Ukraine Count: 10 1 Name: Poroshenko Count: 6 2 Name: Russia Count: 5 3 Name: Kiev Count: 4 4 Name: Moscow Count: 4 5 Name: Russian Count: 3 6 Name: Putin Count: 2 7 Name: OSCE Count: 2 8 Name: EU Count: 2 9 Name: Petro Poroshenko Count: 1 10 Name: Foreign Ministry Count: 1 11 Name: Luhansk Count: 1 12 Name: Sergei Naryshkin Count: 1 13 Name: Interfax Count: 1 14 Name: Donetsk Count: 1 15 Name: Maidan Count: 1 16 Name: Vladimir Putin Count: 1 17 Name: Slaviansk Count: 1 18 Name: European Union Count: 1 19 Name: Kremlin Count: 1 20 Name: Sergei Lavrov Count: 1 Related 0 Url: http://ift.tt/1ojuk4x Title: Ukrainian President Poroshenko Declares Ceasefire Over: 'We Will Attack' Description: DONETSK, Ukraine - Ukraine waited late into the night for word from its president as to whether a fragile ceasefire with pro-Russian separatists in the country's restive east would continue, or the active phase of the government's counterinsurgency operation would restart.
