France, Germany back ceasefire in Donbas from Sept 1 - Poroshenko
Germany and France have supported Ukraine's initiative to put in place the 'regime of quiet' in Donbas starting from September 1, Russian President Vladimir Putin's decision is expected now, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said.
"On August 26, three days ago, by my instruction my representatives in the Trilateral Contact Group put forward an initiative to announce the ceasefire regime starting from September 1. Today, our partners from France and Germany have backed Ukraine's initiative, and now everybody is waiting for a response from one man, from Putin, who bears responsibility for the aggression," Poroshenko said in the village of Manhush populated locality not far from Mariupol, Donetsk region, on Wednesday.
As of now, all instruments of pressure on Russia are needed in order to put peace into place in Donbas, the Ukrainian president also said. "So that the component of security will be fulfilled, the Russian troops will be withdrawn beyond the border, military hardware will be withdrawn, unhampered access will be provided to the OSCE inspectors, Ukrainian hostages, who remain in the occupied territory, will be freed, and forbidden tanks, artillery, multiple rocket launchers will be withdrawn," Poroshenko said.
The Grad multiple rocket launcher has been used over the past few days for the first time in many weeks, he said. "We hope that the cannons will become silent starting from September 1," Poroshenko also said.
Meanwhile, the president's press secretary Svyatoslav Tsegolko on his Twitter account wrote that during the opening of a restored kindergarten Poroshenko said: "Let people compare how they live today in Mariupol and the occupied Donetsk."
