10:21 24.06.2017

Ukrainian military announce readiness for "harvest truce" in Donbas

2 min read
Ukrainian military announce readiness for "harvest truce" in Donbas

The Ukrainian troops deployed in Donbas are ready for the ceasefire starting from midnight June 24, but they also stress their readiness to open fire should their lives be put at risk, Ukrainian Defense Ministry spokesman Oleksandr Motuzianyk told Interfax-Ukraine on Friday.

"We are ready for the ceasefire. We will honor it. However, our response to hostile actions will be adequate," Motuzianyk said.

Ukraine "implements the Minsk agreements at all times," in particular, the Ukrainian troops strictly observed every ceasefire arrangement in the anti-terrorist operation (ATO) zone, the spokesman said.

We only open fire in the event of a real life threat to our troops in Donbas," the spokesman said.

For her part, Iryna Gerashchenko, who represents Ukraine in the TCG's humanitarian subgroup and is first deputy speaker in Ukraine's parliament, stressed the importance of resolving ecological problems and repairing the Donbas infrastructure, if the ceasefire starting on June 24 holds.

"For ecological problems to be solved security is very important! The TCG in Minsk agreed on a ceasefire from June 24. Where it will be quiet, we shall see after midnight. If the truce holds, there will be a chance to do repair work at the DFS [Donetsk filter station], the Avdiyivka coke and chemical plant, and at other enterprises close to the conflict line," Gerashchenko wrote on Facebook after a trip to Donbas on Friday.

On June 21 the Trilateral Contact Group, which mediates the Donbas conflict, backed a proposed ceasefire for the duration of the harvesting period starting from June 24. The so-called "bread truce" should last from the midnight of June 24 through August 31.

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