A ceasefire struck between Ukrainian government forces and pro-Russian separatists was largely holding on Monday in eastern Ukraine, although Kiev accused the rebels of sporadic violations overnight, especially near the port of Mariupol.
The ceasefire, which took effect on Friday evening, is part of a peace plan intended to end a five-month conflict the United Nations’ human rights envoy said on Monday had killed more than 3,000 people. It has also caused the sharpest confrontation between Russia and the West since the Cold War.
The plan envisages an exchange of prisoners, and on Monday a senior separatist leader was quoted as saying the rebels expected an “all-for-all” exchange on Wednesday.
"Overall the ceasefire held even though it is still shaky," Ambassador Thomas Greminger of Switzerland, the current chair of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), said, adding the next days would be crucial.
Local officials in Mariupol said Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko would visit their city on Monday afternoon. Mariupol, a port on the Sea of Azov near the Russian border, is vital for Ukraine’s steel exports.
Monday, 8 September 2014
'Shaky' Ukraine ceasefire holding, president to visit frontline city
'Shaky' Ukraine ceasefire holding, president to visit frontline city:
0 comments:
Post a Comment