Eastern Ukraine Situation ‘Deteriorating,’ Warns Putin.The Russian president has called for Kiev to hold talks with separatist leaders

18 February, 2022 | Filed under: All News,more news,RECENT POSTS | Posted by:
Time for Ukraine to end Donbass war – Putin
Russian President Vladimir Putin chairs an extended meeting of the Board of the Russian Emergency Situations
Ministry via teleconference call, in Moscow, Russia. © Sputnik / Aleksey Nikolskyi

Russian President Vladimir Putin has warned that Ukraine must begin talks with the two breakaway regions in the country’s war-torn east to put an end to fierce fighting that has escalated in recent days.
Speaking following talks with Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko on Friday, Putin said that Kiev needs to sit down with representatives from the self-declared Donbass republics to secure a permanent ceasefire.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has warned that Ukraine must begin talks with the two breakaway regions in the country’s war-torn east to put an end to fierce fighting that has escalated in recent days.

Speaking following talks with Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko on Friday, Putin said that Kiev needs to sit down with representatives from the self-declared Donbass republics to secure a permanent ceasefire.

“The guarantee that peace can be restored comes with the implementation of the Minsk agreements,” the Russian President said. “All Kiev needs to do is sit down at the negotiating table with representatives of the Donbass and agree on political, military, economic and humanitarian measures to end this conflict. The sooner this happens, the better.”

Just moments after Putin’s comments, leaders in the breakaway Donetsk and Lugansk announced that they were instr

According to Denis Pushilin, the head of the unrecognized Donetsk People’s Republic, forces loyal to Kiev “are now prepositioned for combat and ready to take Donbass by force.” “That is why starting today, February 18, a mass evacuation of people to the Russian Federation has been organized,” he said, adding that vulnerable groups like women, children, and the elderly would be given priority.

Western nations have been claiming for months that Russia is preparing a military invasion of Ukraine, with US officials insisting that Moscow could be preparing a “false flag” operation to create a pretext for an attack. Moscow has consistently rejected the accusations.

Donetsk and Lugansk declared their autonomy from Kiev in 2014 after violent street protests felled the Eastern European nation’s elected government. Under the terms of the Minsk agreements, signed later that year, Kiev must hold talks with separatist leaders to secure a lasting peace settlement.

However, President Volodymyr Zelensky and top Ukrainian officials have since claimed that the agreement is unfavorable to Kiev and was signed under duress by their predecessors. Insisting that the rebels are Russian proxies, Zelensky has instead claimed he should hold talks with Putin alone, while Moscow has demanded his government work to implement the accords.

Breakaway Donetsk republic orders evacuation
Civilians must flee from the rebel-held Ukrainian region to Russia, its head says

Breakaway Donetsk republic orders evacuation A woman waits for her neighbor while Ukrainian army soldiers patrols the streets in Mayorske.
© Andriy Andriyenko / SOPA Images / LightRocket via Getty Images§.…,,,,,,,,,,,,,

The leadership of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic expects military aggression by Ukrainian forces, leader Denis Pushilin said on Friday. He asked civilians to evacuate to Russia to avoid being in the crossfire.

Ukrainian troops have been bolstered with arms supplies from Western nations and “are now prepositioned for combat and ready to take Donbass by force,” Pushilin claimed in a statement, referring to his region and fellow breakaway entity, the Lugansk People’s Republic, by their collective name.

The Ukrainian rebels are expecting President Volodymyr Zelensky to order an offensive “in the nearest future.” Their military forces are prepared to fight, but civilians in rebel-controlled areas are at risk of being caught in the crossfire, the head of the Donetsk People’s Republic warned.

“That is why starting today, February 18, a mass evacuation of people to the Russian Federation has been organized,” he said, adding that vulnerable groups like women, children, and the elderly would be given priority.

Pushilin said Russian officials in the neighboring Rostov Region are expecting an inflow of evacuees and will provide them with what they need. There will be conditions at border crossings to expedite the process, he added. He urged people “to heed to the warning and take the right decision,” saying that the relocation would be temporary and would save lives.

The statement was released after OSCE observers deployed to eastern Ukraine to monitor the situation along the line dividing government-controlled parts of the country and territories held by the rebel forces reported a surge in hostilities this week.

The head of the Lugansk People’s Republic (LNR), Leonid Pasechnik, also called on people to evacuate from the region.

Western nations have been claiming for months that Russia was preparing a military invasion of Ukraine. US officials stated that Moscow was preparing a “false flag” operation to justify an attack.

Moscow rejected the accusations. The only way hostilities could break out, Russian officials said, is if Ukraine attempts once again to use military force to take over its breakaway regions. Moscow accuses Kiev of failing to abide by a follow-up roadmap for the reintegration of the Donetsk and Lugansk regions – the Minsk agreements – which Ukraine and the leaders of the two self-proclaimed republics signed in 2014 and 2015, after significant hostilities broke out in the region.

Source:rt.com