Ukraine’s president promised to introduce a bill to parliament as early as next week that would offer greater autonomy to rebellious regions in the pro-Russia east, where separatists have been battling government troops for almost five months..
But Petro Poroshenko added that the regions would remain part of Ukraine and also rejected the idea of federalization, something both Russia and pro-Moscow separatists have continued to push for even after a cease-fire agreement took effect on Friday..
The agreement, which was reached in Belarus, “envisages the restoration and preservation of Ukrainian sovereignty over the entire territory of Donbas, including the part that is temporarily under control of the rebels,” Poroshenko said during a televised Cabinet meeting. “Ukraine has made no concessions with regards to its territorial integrity”..
Poroshenko was vague on the specifics of his bill in his speech on Tuesday. But a previous peace plan laid out in June envisaged protection of the Russian language, joint patrols of federal and local police and allowing local representatives to give their approval for governors, who are appointed by Kiev..
All of those concessions are minor in comparison to what the separatists want. Many have demanded full independence from Kiev, but even their calls for federalization of Ukraine would require local control over security forces and elections for governor..
But Poroshenko may have difficulty in formulating a bill that is palatable to both the separatists and his parliament, which is gearing up for October elections in a political climate in which the public has been largely supportive of the war in the east…
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