MOSCOW, October 12 (RIA Novosti) - Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko is expecting to achieve complete ceasefire in southeastern Ukraine in the coming days, and then to begin creation of a buffer zone, Poroshenko said in an address released on his official website Sunday.
"We expect to achieve complete ceasefire in the coming days. Once this happens, the creation of a buffer zone will be launched. Both sides must pull out heavy weaponry at least 15 kilometers [9.3 miles] away into the controlled areas," the statement read.
The conflict in Ukraine started in April, when Kiev authorities launched a military operation against independence supporters in the southeastern regions of the country.
On September 5, a ceasefire agreement was signed between the two conflicting sides during the meeting of the Contact Group on Ukraine in the Belarusian capital, Minsk.
On September 19, a memorandum was drawn up by the Contact Group, specifying the ceasefire. The memorandum stipulated the creation of a 30-kilometer (18-mile) buffer zone, withdrawal of all heavy weapons from residential areas and the deployment of an OSCE monitoring mission in southeastern Ukraine.
