Ukraine heavy weapons withdrawal in doubt
February 17, 2015
Ukraine's separatists and officials in Kyiv were still at loggerheads after both refused to withdraw heavy weapons from the war zone early Tuesday.
"The withdrawal will begin once there is a ceasefire," said Andriy Lysenko, spokesman for Ukraine's National Security and Defense Council. Lysenko also confirmed the death of at least five Ukrainian soldiers over the past 24 hours, adding that more than 25 had been injured.
Rebel leaders however accused Kyiv back of not standing true to the peace deal. "Any withdrawal must happen, can only happen simultaneously with the Ukrainian side," separatist leader Eduard Basurin told Russia's Interfax news agency.
Fighting between Kyiv and the rebels has been most intense around Debaltseve, a strategic hub between the rebel strongholds of Donetsk and Luhansk, where separatists have surrounded Ukrainian troops. Kyiv's Lysenko stated clearly that his army would not surrender. "There is no order to retreat," he told Interfax.
International leaders express concern
German Chancellor Angela Merkel expressed concern on Monday, saying the ceasefire was "fragile" and that the "path was extremely difficult." However, EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini said in a statement that the ceasefire appeared to be holding despite a number of incidents.
Nevertheless, the EU chose Monday to enforce more sanctions on Russia, in the form of asset freezes and travel bans. The West accuses Russia of supporting the Ukrainian separatists, an accusation Moscow has repeatedly denied.
Also Monday, the US expressed its deep concerns about the situation and called on Russia to "halt all attacks immediately" in eastern Ukraine after worries that Russia was sending military equipment to the region.
More than 5,600 people have been killed in fighting in Ukraine's eastern part in the last 10 months.
Last week, leaders representing Ukraine, Russia, France, Germany and the pro-Russia rebels finalized a peace plan for the region after 17 hours of marathon talks. According to the agreement, both Ukraine and the rebels were to withdraw heavy weapons at least two days after the ceasefire came into effect on Sunday.
mg/cmk (dpa, AFP, Reuters)