MOSCOW, September 4 (RIA Novosti) - Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko supported Russia’s readiness to implement a joint plan of actions on peaceful settlement of a conflict in Donbas, according to an official statement on Poroshenko’s website.
”The Head of State supported the readiness of Russian party to implement the joint Plan of actions on peaceful settlement, “the statement reads.
According to Petro Poroshenko, the plan of actions must include mutual obligations on the regime of bilateral ceasefire, establishment of buffer zone, withdrawal of all foreign troops from the territory of Ukraine, liberation of all hostages.
The statement was released after Poroshenko’s phone consultations with German Federal Chancellor Angela Merkel.
Poroshenko informed Merkel that the joint plan of action may become a basis for the contact group consultations that are going to take place on September 5 in Minsk.
On Wednesday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Ukrainian counterpart Petro Poroshenko discussed the first steps to bringing an end to the bloodshed in eastern Ukraine over the telephone, and that the presidents’ views to exiting the crisis were similar.
On the same day, Vladimir Putin outlined a seven-point plan for the settlement of the crisis in Ukraine, calling on Kiev to withdraw troops from southeastern regions of the country and militia to cease military advances. The plan also includes proposals for an international monitoring force, the establishment of a humanitarian corridor, a ban on the use of combat aircraft over urban areas, an exchange of prisoners in an “all for all” formula and direct repair-crew access to destroyed infrastructure in the war-ravaged areas.
Southeastern regions of Ukraine have been under fire since mid-April, when Kiev launched a military operation against independence supporters, who refused to recognize the legitimacy of the new Kiev government that came to power after a February coup.
The conflict has claimed more than 2,500 lives, according to a UN report published last week.
