Ukraine Defence Ministry Says Things Not Going Moscow's Way
Ukraine Defence Ministry Says Things Not Going Moscow's Way
Ukraine’s acting defence minister Mikhailo Koval says the armed conflict in eastern regions is in its concluding stages.
“The process of concluding the armed confrontation in the east of the country is continuing,” Koval said, according to the defence ministry’s press office.
He stressed that President Petro Poroshenko, as supreme commander of the armed forces, was taking practical measures which "instill great hope that prudent decisions will be taken very soon and that the residents of eastern Ukraine will live in peace”. More specifically, Koval noted that the president had announced a policy of resolving all problems in eastern Ukraine by peaceful means, and of shifting from a phase of armed conflict to a negotiating process.
“As of today, the situation in Donbas has not unfolded according to the scenario that was planned abroad. Everyone who’s been dreaming of civil war must forget about that,” Koval said.
The acting defence minister said weapons would be deployed only against anyone who chose the path of terrorism and undermined peace and calm.
On the subject of his recent trip to Brussels, Koval said that all NATO defence ministers had praised the Ukrainian army’s actions in conducting the counter-terrorism operation.
This article republished from Ukrainska Pravda with kind permission.
