Poroshenko: negotiations with Merkel and Hollande give hope

President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko said that negotiations with the German Chancellor and the President of France, which ended in Kiev, give hope for an agreement on a cease-fire.

As reported on the website of the President of Ukraine, at the beginning of the meeting, Petro Poroshenko thanked Angela Merkel and Francois Hollande for “their significant participation in the process of de-escalation, the establishment of peace in Ukraine and the significant attempts that have already been made to stabilize the situation.”

Negotiations were held in closed mode for four hours. After their graduation late on Thursday, Merkel and Hollande left the administration of the Ukrainian president, without making any press statements.

On Friday, Merkel and Hollande are scheduled to go to Moscow, where they intend to discuss Ukrainian settlement in the context of the Minsk Protocol with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Earlier, US Secretary of State John Kerry, who was also in Kiev, said that his visit, as well as the visit of French and German leaders to Kiev, testify to the support of Ukraine.

According to him, the leaders of Germany and France received proposals from Vladimir Putin and prepared their own, the goal of which is to achieve peace in Ukraine.

Danger of escalation

At the same time, the US Secretary of State did not say what specific proposals the leaders of Germany, France and their colleagues from Ukraine and Russia would discuss at the talks in Kiev and Moscow.

John Kerry also said in Kiev that US President Barack Obama will soon decide whether to supply lethal weapons to Ukraine.

However, the White House believes that the possible supply of arms to the Ukrainian authorities could lead to an increase in bloodshed in eastern Ukraine.

The White House spokesman Josh Ernest said this, adding that the United States would like to avoid such a development.

Ernest also said that the US authorities have not yet made a decision on the supply of arms to Ukraine.

Earlier, Secretary of State John Kerry, who is in Kyiv, said that Obama could make a decision on providing “defensive weapons” “very soon.”

Meanwhile, the Russian Foreign Ministry said that such a move could lead to an escalation of the conflict in the Donbass, and would also threaten the security of Russia.

Josh Ernest expressed concern that the Minsk agreements reached earlier were thwarted by the separatists.

Source - BBC News