Putin tells Ukraine's Poroshenko Russia committed to peace process

Last updated (GMT/UTC): 09.09.2014 18:52

By RFE/RL

OSCE observers inspect a site near residential buildings damaged by recent shelling in Donetsk on September 9.

The Kremlin says Russian President Vladimir Putin told his Ukrainian counterpart, Petro Poroshenko, on September 9 that Moscow remained committed to "further assist" the Ukraine peace process.

The Kremlin said in a statement that in the course of the telephone conversation, "the importance of maintaining a steady a cease-fire regime in the southeast of Ukraine was stressed."

The cease-fire, which took effect on September 5, appears generally to be holding, despite violations reported by both sides.

Earlier, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said he hoped that talks would start soon on the status of eastern Ukraine, where pro-Russian separatists have been waging an armed rebellion.

Lavrov also claimed there was a "heavy concentration" of government forces in an area northeast of Donetsk and accused Kyiv of preparing a strike against the rebels despite a cease-fire.

The separatists are seeking independence for the eastern Donetsk and Luhansk regions, where they declared so-called "people's republics."

The Ukrainian government has promised greater autonomy to the mainly Russian-speaking region but rules out independence.

A 12-point protocol signed at talks in the Belarusian capital, Minsk, on September 5 called for the decentralization of power but did not specify what special status the regions of Donetsk and Luhansk should have.

It also called for an "inclusive national dialogue."

The talks in Minsk involved representatives of Ukraine and the separatists, as well as envoys from Russia and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe.

The cease-fire, which took effect on September 5, appears largely to hold, despite violations reported by both sides.

Ukrainian military spokesman Andriy Lysenko said on September 9 that five Ukrainian servicemen have been killed during the cease-fire.

Lysenko also said the separatists have so far released 648 prisoners to the government side under the agreement.

The European Union on September 8 formally adopted new economic sanctions against Russia over its role in Ukraine but delayed their enforcement to allow time to determine whether the cease-fire can take hold in eastern Ukraine.

A European Commission spokeswoman, Pia Ahrenkilde, said on September the sanctions will enter into force "in the next few days."

The EU has said the sanctions could be suspended if Moscow honors the conditions of the cease-fire and pulls its troops out of Ukrainian territory.

Russia denies sending troops and weapons across the border to support the separatists.

EU diplomats said that the new sanctions included a ban on loans and financing from EU countries to major Russian energy firms – including Rosneft, Transneft, and Gazprom Neft.

Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev told the Russian daily newspaper "Vedomosti" on September 8 that Western airlines could be banned from Russian airspace "if there are sanctions related to the energy sector, or further restrictions on Russia's financial sector."

Meanwhile, the U.S. State Department said on September 9 the United States is putting the finishing touches on possible new sanctions on Russia's defense, energy, and financial sectors over Ukraine.

State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf said at her daily briefing, "We have tools at the ready. We are finalizing these packages, but we are going to make decisions based on what's happening on the ground in the next few days."

With reporting by Reuters, AP, AFP, and "Interfax"

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