Russian officials say Ukraine's request for peacekeepers violates last week's deal
On Wednesday, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko asked that U.N. peacekeepers be deployed in east Ukraine. But on Thursday, Russia's U.N. ambassador, Vitaly Churkin, said that calling in peacekeepers would violate the country's peace deal with pro-Moscow rebels. Both sides agreed to a cease-fire last week, though fighting has continued in some areas.
"If some other schemes are proposed, it raises the question of whether the Minsk agreements are going to be adhered to or not," Churkin told Russia's state-owned RIA Novosti news agency.
The Washington Post reports that Poroshenko spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, and French President Francois Hollande on Thursday. According to Poroshenko's official website, the four agreed the cease-fire measures should be enforced "strictly and in their entirety," and the four will conduct further talks later Thursday.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The talks come after Ukrainian forces retreated from the town of Debaltseve, where they were trapped by rebel forces, on Wednesday. The Post notes that while Poroshenko requested a European Union police mission, the suggestion is "likely to be rejected by Russia," since Russia sees NATO forces on its borders as a security threat.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Meghan DeMaria is a staff writer at TheWeek.com. She has previously worked for USA Today and Marie Claire.
-
Ukraine-Russia: are both sides readying for nuclear war?
Today's Big Question Putin changes doctrine to lower threshold for atomic weapons after Ukraine strikes with Western missiles
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
The North Korean troops readying for deployment in Ukraine
The Explainer Third country wading into conflict would be 'the first step to a world war' Volodymyr Zelenskyy has warned
By The Week UK Published
-
Experts call for a Nato bank to 'Trump-proof' military spending
Under The Radar A new lender could aid co-operation and save millions of pounds, say think tanks
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
What would happen if Russia declared war on Nato?
In depth Response to an attack on UK or other Western allies would be 'overwhelming'
By Richard Windsor, The Week UK Last updated
-
Missile escalation: will long-range rockets make a difference to Ukraine?
Today's Big Question Kyiv is hoping for permission to use US missiles to strike deep into Russian territory
By Richard Windsor, The Week UK Published
-
Atesh: the Ukrainian partisans taking on Russia
Under The Radar Underground resistance fighters are risking their lives to defend their country
By Elizabeth Carr-Ellis, The Week UK Published
-
'Second only to a nuclear bomb' – the controversial arms Russia is using in Ukraine
The Explainer Thermobaric bombs 'capable of vaporising human bodies' have been used against Ukraine
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
The peaceful archipelago that may take up arms
Under The Radar Russia's invasion of Ukraine has left the Åland Islands 'peculiarly vulnerable'
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published