Progress on the Political Track in the Minsk Process is Only Possible After Russia Ensures a Real Ceasefire – Petro Poroshenko

“The progress on the political track in the Minsk Process is possible only when Russia has ensured a sustainable and comprehensive ceasefire,” said Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko during his speech at the 13th Yalta European Strategy Annual Meeting (YES).

“I am often reproached, saying that Ukraine is not advancing politically with regards to the Minsk negotiations. I have been always repeating: we have turned the page, we will not take any more steps forward unless Russia makes its own progress on the security track. It is in the sphere of security that lies the key to the peaceful settlement in Donbass”,  he said.

The Ukrainian President stressed that, so far, there has been no progress on the part of Russia.

“We have a very simple requirement: Russia must ensure a sustainable and comprehensive ceasefire in Donbass. What does the Russian ceasefire - which was declared to our partners and friends, foreign ministers of France and Germany - mean, when we have more than 30 shellings, including artillery and mortar shellings over the last 24 hours,” he said.

Petro Poroshenko added that Ukraine understands the manipulations that Russia is using well, and it will not give in.

“The Ukrainian side is showing good will and responsibility, it is making clear steps towards an effective settlement. But, what does Russia do? The answer is very simple: nothing, zero, it does nothing at all! And in addition, it is seeking to relay the responsibility and the blame on somebody else. This is why we will not be getting into the trap of certain political aspects in the Minsk agreements! We will not get there! It is nothing but tactics of political manipulations at the negotiations table and a controlled aggression on the battlefield by Russia,“ he concluded.