KIEV (Sputnik) – Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has submitted a project to parliament to turn to the UN Security Council and the Council of Europe to deploy a peacekeeping mission in the country, according to information on the Verkhovna Rada’s official website.
Poroshenko first announced the idea to deploy UN- or EU-mandated peacekeepers to eastern Ukraine in February. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said the issue is up to the UN Security Council, while a number of Russian officials questioned Kiev's willingness to adhere to the Minsk agreements, which does not imply any peacekeeping force.
Ukraine's army and independence forces agreed on a ceasefire in Minsk last month. The deal obliged the warring sides to withdraw heavy weaponry from the front lines and charged the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) with monitoring the ceasefire.
