BRUSSELS, June 24 (RIA Novosti) – The European Union welcomes Russian President Vladimir Putin’s initiative to have a legislative permission for Russian military action in Ukraine revoked, a spokeswoman for Europe’s foreign policy chief said Tuesday.
“The EU has consistently called on Russia to cancel the mandate of the Federation Council to use force on Ukrainian soil. We welcome steps President Putin has taken in this direction and hope they will be completed without delay,” said Maja Kocijancic, a spokeswoman for the EU high representative for foreign affairs, Catherine Ashton.
According to Kocijancic, the European Union is also urging Russia to contribute to implementation of the peace plan for the settlement of the Ukrainian conflict outlined last week by Petro Poroshenko.
“We also call on Russia to support the implementation of peace plan presented by President Poroshenko and to adopt effective measures to stop the continued flow of illegal fighters, arms and equipment over the border to Ukraine, to influence the separatist to stop the violence and to continue withdrawing the troops near the border,” the EU official stressed.
Earlier on Tuesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin submitted a proposal to cancel the permission for a Russian military action in Ukraine to the upper chamber of the Russian parliament, the Federation Council.
According to Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov, the proposal was aimed at normalizing the situation in the country’s east and in preparation for the three-party negotiations on this issue.
The Federation Council confirmed that it had received Russian President Vladimir Putin’s request and said it would consider it June 25.
The initiative was also hailed by the Ukrainian president as a “first practical step” toward reconciliation in eastern Ukraine.
Earlier in March, the Russian Parliament voted unanimously to approve the use of military forces in Ukraine in order to stabilize the socio-political situation amid simmering tensions in the country.
