OSCE support is important in the implementation of a peace plan for the settlement of the situation in Donbas, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has said.
“The support of the OSCE is crucially important for the mission on monitoring the ceasefire regime to begin and for all the hostages of terrorists to be liberated,” the presidential press service quoted him as saying at a press conference in Newport on Thursday.
“We must start controlling the situation on the Ukrainian-Russian border. Also, the withdrawal of Russian troops is essential which is a great challenge in these political negotiations,” Poroshenko said.
He expressed hope for a positive result of negotiations of the Trilateral Contact Group that are to be held in Minsk on September 5.
“I have a very cautious optimism in respect of the meeting of the Trilateral Contact Group. At first, there was a statement of the Russian president and government and it was a response to the statement of the so-called DPR and LPR. They are ready to initiate rapid ceasefire,” Poroshenko noted.
He said that as president he would make every possible effort to achieve the main goal – peace in Ukraine.
“We will try to do everything to stop the aggression, to cease fire, because it is Ukraine that pays the highest price every day. Every day we are losing the lives of our soldiers and civilians,” he said.
At the same time, the president said that Ukraine’s sovereignty, territorial integrity and independence were not subject to negotiations.
“They will remain unchanged. Ukraine is sovereign, independent and integral,” Poroshenko said.
According to him, if the parties to negotiations start to make real steps towards the establishment of peace, Ukraine will be ready to hold dialogue in that direction.
“If Putin’s statements about adopting the political decision were true, I will be glad. What we need now is constructive political process,” he said.
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