Poroshenko: No alternative to UN peacekeeping mission in Donbas

"Together with our NATO partners, we restored the army, made it able to protect against the aggressor. We and our friends in the Normandy format, as well as the US, elaborated the effective plan for the occupied part of Donbas. I do not hear any alternative suggestions. Our plan is a multilateral, classic "blue helmet" peacekeeping mission under the auspices of the United Nations Security Council and a roadmap for the implementation of all the Minsk agreements, including the withdrawal of foreign troops," President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko said at the 12th Kyiv Security Forum, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

At the same time, he stressed that weakened Ukraine, after the brawls during elections, led by an inexperienced president could become an opportunity for Putin to move forward.

"Predators, as a rule, attack a victim exactly when it is injured and weak. If the Supreme Commander-in-Chief does not determine the red lines, it will be an invitation for Putin’s aggression against us," the President said.

As a reminder, Ukraine insists on the deployment of a UN peacekeeping mission throughout the territory of the occupied Donbas and the section of Russia-Ukraine border with a length of 420 km, as well as granting peacekeepers broad rights. However, Russia claims that UN peacekeepers should only engage in ensuring protection for OSCE observers.

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