Poroshenko Says Russians Leaving Eastern Ukraine
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iStock/Thinkstock(KEIV, Ukraine) — Ukraine’s president announced Wednesday that a ceasefire agreement with pro-Moscow separatists in the east has resulted in “70 percent of Russian forces” having left the region.
Because of this development, Petro Poroshenko says that the security situation in eastern Ukraine has improved dramatically, which could possibly lead to a sustainable peace deal.
Poroshenko also suggested that he’d be willing to grant the largely Russian-speaking Donetsk and Lugansk regions greater autonomy but stopped short of offering full independence.
The Kremlin, which had denied helping rebels during the bloody conflict, has hoped Donetsk and Lugansk would split from the central government in order to form diplomatic and economic ties with Moscow.
The seemingly successful week-long ceasefire has also prompted the European Union from imposing even more crippling sanctions against Russia, at least for another day.
If the EU moves ahead, Moscow has said it would retaliate in kind by possibly imposing bans on Western aircraft flying over its airspace.
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