MOSCOW, September 4 (RIA Novosti) – Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said Thursday from the sidelines of the NATO summit in Wales that he will order a ceasefire in the southeast of the country at 2 p.m. local time on September 5, according to Reuters.
"At 1400 local time (1100 GMT on Friday), provided the (Minsk) meeting takes place, I will call on the General Staff to set up a bilateral ceasefire and we hope that the implementation of the peace plan will begin tomorrow," said Poroshenko as quoted by the news agency.
On Wednesday, the Ukrainian president’s press service said that, following a telephone conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Poroshenko announced an “immediate ceasefire” in eastern Ukraine. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov noted that Putin and Poroshenko did not agree on a ceasefire because Russia is not a party in the conflict, but they did discuss its resolution.
Since mid-April, Kiev has been conducting a military operation against the independence supporters in southeastern Ukraine who refused to recognize the legitimacy of the new government after a February coup. The conflict has already claimed more than 2,500 lives, according to UN.
