Separatists say they'll honor cease-fire:
By RFE/RL
Russia-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine said they will honor a cease-fire beginning with the new school year on August 25.
Separatist leader Denis Pushilin was quoted on the separatists' main news site late on August 23 as saying that his fighters "supported a stable and universal cease-fire along the contact line" in Ukraine's Donbas region.
Martin Sajdik, the envoy for the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) on the Ukraine crisis, had earlier confirmed reports that an "indefinite" cease-fire would commence at midnight on August 25.
The OSCE issued a statement saying it "welcomes the recommitment to cease-fire" and called the truce "an encouraging joint, political signal from all signatories" to the 2015 Minsk peace agreement.
The cease-fire was agreed late on August 22 during a phone call between the leaders of Germany, France, Russia, and Ukraine -- the so-called "Normandy Four."
In the call, Russian President Vladimir Putin, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko, and French President Emmanuel Macron all voiced strong support for a lasting cease-fire to allow children in eastern Ukraine to attend school at the start of the new term, the Kremlin and Poroshenko's press service said.
Kurt Volker, the U.S. special envoy for efforts to end the conflict in Ukraine, had earlier expressed his support for the proposal in comments to the Baltic News Service as he visited Lithuania on August 22.
The cease-fire for the back-to-school season "seems like a very good idea. We would obviously fully support that and hope the sides could do that," Volker told the news service.
Several cease-fire deals announced as part of the 2015 Minsk accords have failed to hold since Russia-backed separatists seized parts of Donetsk and Luhansk regions, which border Russia, in 2014.
The United Nations estimates that at least 10,090 people, including 2,777 civilians, have been killed, and at least 23,966 injured since the start of the conflict through May 15, 2017.
The United States and the European Union have imposed sanctions on Moscow for its annexation of Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula and for its support of separatists in eastern Ukraine.
Volker was joined in Kyiv on August 23 by U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis. They will hold meetings with senior Ukrainian government officials to discuss "the next steps in diplomatic negotiations to restore Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity," U.S. officials said.
Mattis is scheduled to attend a parade on August 24 to mark Ukraine’s Independence Day and to meet with Poroshenko.
Mattis is likely to vow continued nonlethal U.S. support, offering the potential for weaponry considered "defensive" in nature.
Kyiv is expected to push for more lethal weapons, including antitank and antiaircraft weapons, to battle the separatists.
Mattis arrived in Kyiv from Ankara, where he met with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and other officials. He had earlier stopped in Jordan and made a surprise visit to Iraq. (w/Interfax, TASS, AP, Reuters, AFP)
That concludes our live-blogging of the Ukraine crisis for Wednesday, August 23, 2017. Check back here tomorrow for more of our continuing coverage. Thanks for reading and take care.
Mattis Arrives In Kyiv As Cease-Fire In Eastern Ukraine Set For August 25
By RFE/RL
U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis arrived in Kyiv on August 23, as international officials confirmed that a cease-fire in eastern Ukraine timed to the start of the new school year would begin in two days.
Mattis did not comment upon his arrival about the planned cease-fire, but the lead negotiator on the Ukraine crisis confirmed earlier reports that an “indefinite” cease-fire in Ukraine's Donbas region would commence on August 25.
"In light of support of the 'Normandy Four' on August 22, we confirm our commitment to the cessation of hostilities as of midnight on August 25," said Martin Sajdik, the envoy for the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE).
His comments follow a phone call involving Germany, France, Russia, and Ukraine -- the so-called “Normandy Four” -- late on August 22.
In the call, Russian President Vladimir Putin, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, and French President Emmanuel Macron all voiced strong support for a lasting cease-fire to allow children in eastern Ukraine to attend school at the start of the new term, the Kremlin and Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko's press service said.
Kurt Volker, the U.S. special envoy for efforts to end the conflict in Ukraine, had earlier expressed his support for the proposal in comments to the Baltic News Service as he visited Lithuania on August 22.
The cease-fire for the back-to-school season "seems like a very good idea. We would obviously fully support that and hope the sides could do that," Volker told the news service.
Several cease-fire deals announced as part of the 2015 Minsk accords have failed to hold since Russia-backed separatists seized parts of Donetsk and Luhansk provinces, which border Russia, in 2014.
The United Nations estimates that at least 10,090 people, including 2,777 civilians, have been killed, and at least 23,966 injured since the start of the conflict through May 15, 2017.
The United States and the European Union have imposed sanctions on Moscow for its annexation of Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula and for its support of separatists in eastern Ukraine.
Mattis will join Volker in Kyiv, where they will hold meetings with senior Ukrainian government officials to discuss "the next steps in diplomatic negotiations to restore Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity," U.S. officials said.
Mattis is scheduled to attend a parade on August 24 to mark Ukraine’s Independence Day and to meet with President Petro Poroshenko.
Mattis is likely to vow continued nonlethal U.S. support, offering the potential for weaponry considered “defensive” in nature.
Kyiv is expected to push for more lethal weapons, including antitank and antiaircraft weapons, to battle the separatists.
Mattis arrived in Kyiv from Ankara, where he met with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and other officials. He had earlier stopped in Jordan and made a surprise visit to Iraq.