11:52 29.09.2014

Poroshenko says over 1,000 Ukrainian POWs freed, army positions fortified during ceasefire

2 min read
Poroshenko says over 1,000 Ukrainian POWs freed, army positions fortified during ceasefire

A peace-oriented dialogue is the only way to resolve the situation in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said.

He stressed in an interview with 1+1 channel on Sunday that was the focal point of the Ukrainian government's efforts. The ceasefire regime, during which over 1,000 captured Ukrainian servicemen have been freed and army positions have been reinforced, is an important step towards peace, the president indicated.

"We have managed to build a solid line of defense. This does not mean we are going to breach the ceasefire regime but we are now able to provide security to our cities, towns and villages," the Ukrainian president continued.

He noted they had focused on the security and defense of Mariupol. "Mariupol is and will be Ukrainian," Poroshenko said.

The international community backs the Ukrainian government's effort towards peace, and that support had been demonstrated by the NATO summit in Wales, the president said.

"The issue of Ukraine topped the agenda and everyone said, "Yes, we will set up four trust funds for Ukraine, we will resume military-technological cooperation, we will take additional steps towards training the Ukrainian army and the security forces"," Poroshenko said.

Speaking of the peace plan implementation and the signing of the Minsk accords, the president once again emphasized that those steps and agreements did not jeopardize the sovereignty, territorial integrity and independence of Ukraine.

"Ukraine will be a united and unitary state. What we are saying about the delegation of some powers to local councils is a part of the power decentralization plan. Everyone should understand that these laws have a limited validity of three years," Poroshenko said.

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