Ceasefire in Ukraine does not improve Russia-NATO relations

(Baonghean) - On Friday, September 5, negotiations in Belarus between the Ukrainian government and separatists reached a ceasefire agreement. This event has raised hopes of putting an end to the nearly 5-month-long conflict that has left eastern Ukraine in ruins.

The ceasefire went into effect at 6 p.m. local time, at the request of Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko. It is unclear whether the truce will be observed. Gunfire and explosions were heard at around 6 p.m. local time, according to the website of the eastern Ukrainian city of Donetsk. However, CNN's team in southeastern Ukraine - where fierce fighting is taking place between the Russian border and the port city of Mariupol - said there was no return of fire 20 minutes after the ceasefire went into effect.

US President Barack Obama expressed hope but also great concern about the sustainability of the ceasefire in Ukraine, skeptical about the separatists' compliance with their commitments. At the end of the NATO Summit in the UK, he reaffirmed the West's determination on the Ukraine issue: "NATO is completely united in supporting Ukraine to maintain its sovereignty, independence, territorial integrity and defense." Alliance member states will provide military aid and help Ukraine modernize its security forces, while the US and the EU are finalizing "more extensive" sanctions. Mr. Obama commented on Russia's aggressive attitude towards Ukraine as "a threat to the Europe that we aspire to as a united, free and peaceful entity."

Negotiations in Minsk between representatives of the Ukrainian Government and separatist forces. Photo: internet

Also at the conference, Ukrainian President Poroshenko told reporters that the ceasefire was part of a peace plan that he and Russian President Putin had agreed on by phone last week. He affirmed that Ukraine's sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity were the core of this 12-step plan. He hoped that the prisoner exchange would be carried out soon, possibly on Saturday, September 6. Finally, he stressed the importance of the ceasefire agreement, and that in the meantime, political negotiations between the two sides were necessary to restore peace and stability in the two regions of Luhansk and Donetsk. "We are ready for further steps, including the decentralization of power," according to which Luhansk and Donetsk would have more economic autonomy, and their own language and culture would also be respected. This is because the majority of the population here speaks Russian.

The Twitter page of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic also posted information about the ceasefire. However, the separatist leader insisted at a press conference after the signing that the ceasefire did not mean the end of the Luhansk People's Republic and the Donetsk People's Republic. Mr Poroshenko asked his foreign minister and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe - which has sent international observers to Ukraine - to monitor compliance with the ceasefire. "The world wants peace, Ukraine wants peace, including millions of Donbas residents. Human life is the most precious thing. We must do everything possible and even impossible to stop the bloodshed and suffering of the people," he said. A previous unilateral ceasefire declared by the Ukrainian government in June was broken after 10 days.

On the Western side - nominal observers and Ukraine's main supporter - the US and Europe remain tense with Russia, despite the ceasefire. British Prime Minister David Cameron, the summit host, said in his closing remarks that what Putin is doing is "inexcusable and completely wrong". He also said that a "package of EU sanctions being finalized in Brussels will make Russia pay even more for its actions. We stand firmly with Ukraine to defend its right to self-determination, not to be ruled by Russian tanks". His statement expressed confidence in the weight of Europe and the US on the balance sheet against Russia: "At the end of the day, Russia still needs Europe and the US more than Europe and the US need Russia. We have to make them pay for this bond". Of course, that said, NATO member states are also "holding their breath" waiting to see where this ceasefire will lead so they can "raise their heads and strike lightly". Because no matter what, the confrontation between Europe and the US - Russia is 2 against 1, but the country of winter has never shown any impatience or wavering. When the Ukraine card is still not out, it is difficult to predict who is blind and who is lame?

Ganoderma