Contents tagged with Donbas
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Merkel and Putin discuss Normandy Four meeting
German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed preparations for the Normandy Four summit during a telephone conversation, reports RIA news agency, citing the spokesperson of the German Cabinet Steffen Seibert.
"The main topic of their talk was the preparations to hold the Normandy Four summit as soon as possible. Also, they discussed the situation in Syria and Libya, as well as ongoing negotiations on the continuation of gas transit through Ukraine," said …
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Deputy commander of Ukrainian Joint Forces Operation: We will not surrender our positions in Donbas
Bohdan Bondar, the Deputy Commander of the Joint Forces Operation, said that the Ukrainian Armed Forces would not surrender their their positions, reports Hromadske TV channel.
"We will not surrender and will not give up our positions. What is being carried out now and what is proposed to be carried out in the future are certain steps towards a real cessation of hostilities. Five years is a period that has sufficiently shown that it is necessary to use other options to end the hostilities," …
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Kremlin calls Kyiv's proposal to dissolve DPR and LPR 'unexpected'
The Press Secretary of the Russian President Dmitry Peskov called Kyiv's proposal to dissolve the self-proclaimed republics of the Donbas (Donetsk and Luhansk People's Republics) "very unexpected." According to him, these are some "new inputs" for Moscow, as well as for Berlin and Paris, reports RIA Novosti news agency.
After a meeting of a Trilateral Contact Group on Ukraine in Minsk, the Press Secretary of the Kyiv's representative, Darka Olifer, stated that Ukraine is ready to fulfill its …
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Kyiv demands dissolution of DPR and LPR as condition for Minsk Agreements
Ukraine is willing to implement the political part of the Minsk Agreements only after the dissolution of the self-proclaimed Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics (DPR and LPR) and the withdrawal of troops along the demarcation line in the Donbas, said Darya Olifer, spokesperson for Leonid Kuchma, Ukraine’s representative in the Trilateral Contact Group, in a Facebook post.
Before the “political section” of the Minsk Agreements can be implemented, the shooting must also cease completely, the …
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Ukraine can now use US-produced Javelin missiles in Donbas
US-produced Javelin anti-tank missile systems can now be used in eastern Ukraine following the transition to an open arms purchase procedure between the two countries, former Ukrainian Ambassador to the US Valeriy Chaly told LB.ua news outlet in an exclusive interview.
“We can now use these new anti-tank missile systems, when they are bought, at our discretion. And station them where we want, for example in eastern Ukraine,” he said.
The diplomat admitted that the current batch of Javelins …
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EU approves Kyiv's plan for Donbas
High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy of the European Commission Federica Mogherini said at a press conference after a meeting with Foreign Ministers of EU member-countries in Luxembourg that Ukrainian Foreign Minister Vadym Prystaiko presented a comprehensive and satisfactory plan on how to resolve the conflict in the Donbas.
"We have received from him [Prystaiko] a fairly comprehensive and, I would say, satisfactory picture of the plans that the Ukrainian government and …
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Ukrainian General: Russia is not interested in withdrawal of forces in Donbas
The former head of Ukraine's Foreign Intelligence Service, General of Ukraine's Army Mykola Malomuzh, said in an interview with Fakty news outlet that the withdrawal of troops wouldn't succeed in the Donbas.
According to him, despite the agreements with the EU countries, Russia and the Donbas militias intend to disrupt the withdrawal process, as it is not beneficial for them.
The General is convinced that the Russian authorities intend to push forward their conditions, and they will try to …
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Ukrainian press: Pro-Russian militants will gain ‘gray zone’ territory if the troops are withdrawn in Donbas
It’s pretty obvious that a withdrawal of forces and equipment along the demarcation line (if synchronized) will only play into the hands of the occupation corps. In most places, the illegal armed groups will only nominally withdraw their forces, says military expert Mikhail Zhyrokhov in his article for Business Capital.
According to Zhyrokhov, if one looks at the geography, the Armed Forces of Ukraine will be losing dominant positions almost everywhere, not to mention three dozen settlements. …
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Ukrainian Military Command increases combat readiness ahead of public holidays
The combat readiness of military units of the Ukrainian Armed Forces will be strengthened during weekends and holidays, reads the statement of the press service of the Ukrainian General Staff published on its Facebook page.
"By the order of the Chief of the General Staff, the Ukrainian Armed Forces strengthen the combat readiness during weekends and holidays in the places of permanent deployment and in areas of combat operations," reads the message.
The security of military facilities has …
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Ukrainian Foreign Minister explains failure to withdraw troops in Donbas
The Ukrainian Foreign Minister Vadym Prystaiko, in an interview with Ukrinform, provided the reasons for the failure to withdraw forces in the Donbas.
Prystaiko admitted that in Ukrainian society withdrawal of the troops deeper into Ukraine is perceived as a retreat. "To move away deeper into our territory is painful," he said. The Minister noted that now it is "a hot topic that causes a lot of emotions" in Ukraine.
"The Ukrainian Armed Forces were withdrawing, but the Ukrainian government, …