Kiev Ready to Implement Martial Law if Conflict Escalates

© AP Photo / Sergei ChuzavkovUkrainian government army soldiers
Ukrainian government army soldiers - Sputnik International
Subscribe
Kiev needs to be prepared for both peace and defending the country as a result of the ongoing conflict, Petro Poroshenko underscored.

Ukraine Contact Group meets in Minsk - Sputnik International
Kiev, Donbas Reach Ceasefire Deal Ahead of Minsk Talks
KIEV (Sputnik) – Ukrainian authorities are prepared to implement martial law throughout the country if there is a further escalation of the conflict in the country’s eastern regions, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said Wednesday.

“The government, the Verkhovna Rada (parliament), and I are ready to move on to making a decision of implementing martial law throughout the entire territory of Ukraine. I will not doubt the decision if the aggressor’s irresponsible activities lead to the further escalation of the conflict,” Poroshenko said during a government meeting.

“Unfortunately, we need to be ready for two variants: either peace or defending the country,” Poroshenko added.

A residential building near Donetsk railway station damaged in the result of shelling by the Ukrainian army - Sputnik International
Finland Still Awaiting Approval for Humanitarian Aid Delivery to Ukraine
Kiev needs to be prepared for two different developments in the country’s crisis situation: either to peace or to defend the country, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said Wednesday.

“Unfortunately, we need to be ready for two variants: either peace or defending the country,” Poroshenko said.

The decentralization intended by Ukraine will have nothing in common with federalization, he added.

"The decentralization which we are developing will have nothing in common with federalization. Ukraine has been and will remain a unitary state," Poroshenko said at the government session.

The U.S. military will deploy soldiers to Ukraine this spring to train the country’s newly established National Guard. - Sputnik International
Pentagon to Train Ukraine’s National Guardsmen
Rallies for federalization have swept Ukraine’s mostly Russian-speaking eastern regions after the previous government was overthrown in Kiev in February last year.

Refusing to acknowledge the legitimacy of the new coup-imposed government, residents of the Donetsk and Luhansk provinces in eastern Ukraine established so-called people's republics that later declared their independence.

Kiev authorities have repeatedly rejected the idea of federalization. A law granting “special status” and broader autonomy to parts of the breakaway regions was introduced last fall but was abolished shortly afterward.

Tensions in conflict-torn East Ukraine, where Kiev-led forces are fighting local independence supporters, have been on the rise in early 2015. The two warring sides have been blaming each other for carrying out a string of attacks which have claimed the lives of over 200 civilians over the past weeks.

President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko - Sputnik International
Poroshenko Heading to Minsk Talks to Call for Ceasefire, Start Dialogue
A total of more than 5,400 people have been killed and over 13,000 have been wounded since Kiev launched its military operation in April last year, according to the latest UN data.

Later on Wednesday, Poroshenko is expected to meet the leaders of Russia, Germany and France in a bid to find a solution to the conflict. Moscow has repeatedly called on Kiev to refrain from the use of forces and instead engage in dialogue with the breakaway regions in eastern Ukraine.

Newsfeed
0
To participate in the discussion
log in or register
loader
Chats
Заголовок открываемого материала