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| Ukraine’s Leader Proposes Cease-Fire Plan in the East | |
| (about 2 hours later) | |
| MOSCOW — President Petro O. Poroshenko of Ukraine proposed on Wednesday a unilateral cease-fire by government forces as part of a 14-point peace plan to end the separatist violence in the eastern part of the country. | |
| For more than two months, the Ukrainian military has been battling pro-Russian rebels in the eastern regions of Donetsk and Luhansk, with hundreds of casualties and no sign that the conflict will abate anytime soon. | For more than two months, the Ukrainian military has been battling pro-Russian rebels in the eastern regions of Donetsk and Luhansk, with hundreds of casualties and no sign that the conflict will abate anytime soon. |
| Mr. Poroshenko’s announcement of his cease-fire plan came in response to questions by reporters in Kiev, the capital, and it followed a phone call late Tuesday with President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia, in which both sides said the cease-fire was a main topic. | |
| Other elements of Mr. Poroshenko’s plan include sealing the border with Russia and amending the Ukrainian Constitution to allow for a “decentralization” plan that will give more authority to local governments. | Other elements of Mr. Poroshenko’s plan include sealing the border with Russia and amending the Ukrainian Constitution to allow for a “decentralization” plan that will give more authority to local governments. |
| The initial step, however, will be a halt to the so-called antiterrorist operation in eastern Ukraine, in which the Ukrainian military has sought to crack down on the pro-Russian militias, which include some Russian citizens who crossed the border to join the fight. Senior Russian officials have long insisted that any peace effort must begin with the Ukrainian government’s ending its use of force against the separatists. | The initial step, however, will be a halt to the so-called antiterrorist operation in eastern Ukraine, in which the Ukrainian military has sought to crack down on the pro-Russian militias, which include some Russian citizens who crossed the border to join the fight. Senior Russian officials have long insisted that any peace effort must begin with the Ukrainian government’s ending its use of force against the separatists. |
| “The plan will begin with my order of a unilateral cease-fire,” Mr. Poroshenko said on Wednesday. | “The plan will begin with my order of a unilateral cease-fire,” Mr. Poroshenko said on Wednesday. |
| Mr. Poroshenko said he envisioned a temporary cease-fire, during which rebels would put down their arms and Russian fighters would be allowed to return home. | Mr. Poroshenko said he envisioned a temporary cease-fire, during which rebels would put down their arms and Russian fighters would be allowed to return home. |
| The initial reaction from the separatists, however, indicated that they were not prepared to accept the deal in its current form. Senior Russian officials have long insisted that they do not control — or speak for — the rebels, and previous efforts by Russia and the West to negotiate a peace settlement have failed. | The initial reaction from the separatists, however, indicated that they were not prepared to accept the deal in its current form. Senior Russian officials have long insisted that they do not control — or speak for — the rebels, and previous efforts by Russia and the West to negotiate a peace settlement have failed. |
| Klavdia Kulbatskaya, a spokeswoman for the Donetsk People’s Republic, the self-declared separatist government, said the insurgent forces were dismissive of the proposal. | Klavdia Kulbatskaya, a spokeswoman for the Donetsk People’s Republic, the self-declared separatist government, said the insurgent forces were dismissive of the proposal. |
| “He talks about a cease-fire every day,” Ms. Kulbatskaya said by telephone. “And then the next day they start bombing even more heavily.” | “He talks about a cease-fire every day,” Ms. Kulbatskaya said by telephone. “And then the next day they start bombing even more heavily.” |
| Denis Pushilin, one of the leaders of the political wing of the Donetsk People’s Republic, told Rain TV in Moscow that he considered Mr. Poroshenko’s proposal “meaningless.” | Denis Pushilin, one of the leaders of the political wing of the Donetsk People’s Republic, told Rain TV in Moscow that he considered Mr. Poroshenko’s proposal “meaningless.” |
| “This is what happens: they cease fire, we disarm and they take us unarmed,” Mr. Pushilin said. | “This is what happens: they cease fire, we disarm and they take us unarmed,” Mr. Pushilin said. |
| The Russian foreign minister, Sergey V. Lavrov, who has repeatedly called for the Ukrainian government to halt its military operations against the separatists, said on Wednesday that Mr. Poroshenko’s plan might not be sufficient. | The Russian foreign minister, Sergey V. Lavrov, who has repeatedly called for the Ukrainian government to halt its military operations against the separatists, said on Wednesday that Mr. Poroshenko’s plan might not be sufficient. |
| Speaking in Baku, Azerbaijan, where he was on an official visit, Mr. Lavrov said the Kremlin expected a “comprehensive” cease-fire, not a temporary one. | Speaking in Baku, Azerbaijan, where he was on an official visit, Mr. Lavrov said the Kremlin expected a “comprehensive” cease-fire, not a temporary one. |
| “If this initiative aims at a comprehensive cease-fire, in which the opposition militia fighting the authorities will be able to exhibit a good will and start negotiations, to which the authorities will invite representatives of the southeast, then I think it could be the step promised by Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko and which is actually expected by all of us,” said Mr. Lavrov, according to the Interfax news service. | “If this initiative aims at a comprehensive cease-fire, in which the opposition militia fighting the authorities will be able to exhibit a good will and start negotiations, to which the authorities will invite representatives of the southeast, then I think it could be the step promised by Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko and which is actually expected by all of us,” said Mr. Lavrov, according to the Interfax news service. |