Ukrainian President calls for closing the border with Russia
The Kremlin must agree to deploy a UN peacekeeping mission to the separatist-held areas of Donetsk and the Luhansk region including the Ukraine-Russia border, stated Ukrainian president Petro Poroshenko after talks with the head of the European Council Donald Tusk and the chairman of the European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker.
“I believe, that the only way to change the situation, is to seal the uncontrolled areas of the Ukrainian- Russian border with the aggressor state and ensure the fulfillment of the Minsk agreement”, the President of Ukraine stated.
Poroshenko also noted that the European Union has strengthened its role as guarantor of sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine.
Earlier, the Ukrainian leader said that the deployment of the peacekeeping mission to the Donbas is the most important step in restoring peace and stated, that this would be a test for Moscow and the truthfulness of their intentions.
Last year Russian president Vladimir Putin supported the idea of introducing UN peacekeepers in Donbas. In his opinion, the mission should be placed on the line of demarcation.
Kyiv demands that peacekeepers be deployed on the border of the self-proclaimed republics with Russia.
At the end of April, Ukrainian authorities completed the Anti-terrorist operation (ATO) on the territory of unrecognized republics, replacing it with Joint Forces Operation (JFO) which brings the command of all forces under a single operational headquarters.