Poroshenko: I go to Minsk to stop war (video)

Ukraine will demand peace without any conditions, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said before the summit of ‘the Norman Four’. He announced it during his February 10 visit to Kramatorsk attacked by separatists not long ago.

“We demand to cease fire, withdraw foreign troops and close the border. They have nothing to do here, There is no conflict in our country. We will reach a compromise ourselves. We must protect peace in Kramatorsk and we must defend Ukraine. This is why I am going to Minsk. I need to cease fire and start a political dialogue. We will sort it out ourselves,” the Ukrainian President’s website quotes Poroshenko.

The Ukrainian leader has promised to show the ammunition used by Kramatorsk separatists at the summit in Minsk and in the Council of the European Union.

Kramatorsk was attacked on the morning of February 10 – the ATO headquarters and blocks of flats were fired at. 64 people including 35 civilians were injured. 16 people died, 10 were severely wounded.  41 houses were damaged.

The trilateral contact group (Ukraine-Russia-OSCE) met in Minsk yesterday. Representatives of the self-declared republics ‘DPR’ and ‘LPR’ were also present. Ukrainian ex-President Leonid Kuchma, head of the civil organization Ukrainian Choice Victor Medvedchuk, Russian Ambassador to Ukraine Mikhail Zubarev, OSCE special representative Heidi Tagliavini , representatives of the elf-declared ‘DPR’ and ‘LPR’ Denis Pushilin and Vladislav Deinego arrived in the Belarusian capital. The meeting was held in the complex Deepservice Hall in Vaiskovy Lane.

The scheme of removal of heavy artillery was discussed at the meeting. Representatives of separatists presented their project of the agenda. It is early to speak about ceasefire, ‘DPR’ representative Denis Pushilin said.

A meeting of ‘the Norman Four’ will be held in Minsk today. German Chancellor Angela Merkel, French President François Hollande, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko and Russian President Vladimir Putin will discuss the situation in Donets Basin.