Kiev Signs 100 Arms Deals, Plans to Conclude 160 More, Amid Minsk Ceasefire

Kiev has signed almost 100 arms contracts, aiming at providing the Ukrainian army with new military equipment, said Ukrainian Defense Minister Stepan Poltorak.

It is worth mentioning that in April 2014 Ukrainian authorities launched a full-scale military operation against Donbas residents, which opposed illegitimate February coup in Kiev. According to the United Nations (UN) latest report, the military campaign has already resulted in more than 6,000 deaths. The Minsk ceasefire deal brokered by Russia, Ukraine, France and Germany obliged Kiev's armed forces and independence supporters in eastern Ukraine to suspend military activities by February 15, 2015. However, sporadic fire has never ceased, prompting the sides to blame each other for violation of the Minsk agreement.

Meanwhile, according to Stepan Poltorak, Ukraine is modernizing its defense complex. Over 100 arms contracts have already been concluded, the Ukrainian Defense Minister elaborated, adding that over 160 other military deals are yet to be signed.

The Defense Minister revealed that about 1,000 units of military equipment in need of repair were transferred to Ukraine's plants. Additionally, on March 18 Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk together with military officials has inspected new weaponry ready for dispatch to the conflict zone in eastern Ukraine, Poltorak revealed.

It should be noted that earlier, on March 17, the Verkhovna Rada postponed the decision of giving the two eastern regions special status and declared areas under the control of the DPR and LPR "temporarily occupied." The southeastern republics blasted the Ukrainian authorities move, saying that the Kiev regime could not be considered trustworthy.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov noted that the decision of the Verkhovna Rada, proposed by Ukrainian President Poroshenko, was a blatant attempt to rewrite the Minsk deal.