KIEV, June 26 (RIA Novosti) – Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has called upon the clergy to participate in the implementation of the peace plan in the southeast of the country, the presidential press service said.
"Our church should not stand aside. It seems to me that in these conditions the involvement of the church and its benevolent mission is very important," the press service quoted Poroshenko.
Metropolitan Onuphrius and Patriarch Filaret have supported the initiative of the president. Poroshenko noted that representatives of all faiths can join this process. He stressed that participation should be voluntary.
On June 20, the Ukrainian president declared a ceasefire between Kiev-led armed forces and independence supporters in the self-proclaimed republics of Donetsk and Luhansk. He also presented a peace plan for the settlement of the crisis.
The prime minister of the Donetsk People's Republic Alexander Boroday held talks Monday on the settlement of the conflict with representatives of Moscow, Kiev, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) and other representatives of the breakaway republics. Boroday stated that the Donetsk and Luhansk self-defense forces agree to observe the armistice till June 27.
