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Fighting continues in Ukraine despite peace deal and looming cease-fire Fighting continues in Ukraine despite looming cease-fire
(about 3 hours later)
MOSCOW — Ukraine said Friday eight of their troops were killed and 34 wounded overnight in embattled easternUkraine, just a day after a peace deal and a quickly-approaching cease-fire deadline was hammered out with the help of European leaders. MOSCOW — Ukrainian soldiers and pro-Moscow rebel forces clashed Friday ahead of a cease-fire hammered out by European leaders desperate to halt the conflict but also openly questioning whether the peace deal will stick.
A spokesman for the Ukrainian army general staff, Vladislav Selznyov, told the Interfax-Ukraine news agency Friday that most of the overnight fighting was in Debaltseve, a key railroad hub that has been the scene of fierce fighting in recent days. Fighting was anticipated on both sides as forces seek to make gains and fortify positions ahead of the planned Sunday cease-fire, which was announced Thursday after marathon talks that included European leaders and Russian President Vladi­mir Putin.
Fourteen people were also injured in the rebel stronghold of Donetsk, municipal authorites said, according to the Associated Press. Reporters in the embattled city of Donetsk said the sound of artillery fire could still be heard there. And heavy fighting was also reported overnight in Luhansk, the British Broadcasting Corporation reported. But even in advance the deadline, Ukraine’s president repeated concerns among European officials that the cease-fire may not fully quell the 10-month-old conflict between separatists favoring ties with Russia against Ukraine’s Western-allied government.
The fighting raged overnight despite an agreement reached Thursday by the leaders of Russia, Ukraine, Germany and France in a marathon 16-hour overnight negotiating session in Minsk, Belarus. “I don’t want anyone to have any illusions and . . . I am not seen as a naive person,” Petro Poroshenko said during a visit to a Ukrainian military base, according to the Reuters news agency. “We are still a very long way from peace.”
At the negotiations, Ukrainian and pro-Russian rebel leaders agreed to a cease-fire beginning at the start of Sunday, and Ukraine accepted sweeping measures to grant rebel-held territories more self-rule. But the leaders of Ukraine, Germany and France cautioned that the deal was fragile, and it was unclear why this one would succeed when a similar bargain in September quickly fell apart. At least 5,400 people have been killed in the conflict, according to U.N. estimates, and more than 1 million people have been displaced from their homes.
Amid doubts about the deal’s chances for success, the biggest winner appeared to be Russian President Vladimir Putin, who neatly short-circuited Western discussions about imposing new economic and military costs for his role in fueling the war. So it was left to Putin to claim victory in the efforts to end a fight in which he has always denied taking part. The fighting also has raised tensions between Russia and the West to Cold War-era levels.
Ukraine committed itself to politically tricky efforts to grant rebel-held territory new freedoms. Leaders from the European Union agreed to sit down with the Kremlin to discuss Russian concerns about Ukraine’s efforts to align itself with them. Putin offered little — but he eliminated, at least for now, the possibility of stronger E.U. sanctions and of U.S. weaponry for Kiev’s military. A day after the cease-fire framework was reached in Belarus, a Ukrainian military spokesman said at least eight soldiers were killed in Friday’s clashes.
The talks began Wednesday evening and stretched without interruption until noon Thursday. The spokesman, Vladislav Selznyov, told the Interfax-Ukraine news agency Friday that most of the overnight fighting was in Debaltseve, a key railroad hub that has been the scene of fierce fighting in recent days.
“This was not the best night of my life, but the morning, in my opinion, was good,” Putin said in the marble-clad Palace of Independence in the Belarusan capital of Minsk. “We still managed to agree on the essentials.” Fighting also appeared ongoing in the rebel stronghold of Donetsk, the Associated Press reported.
Leaders, diplomats and fighters on the ground all agreed Thursday that the cease-fire would face great challenges. There were few mechanisms to ensure that heavy weaponry would be rolled back at least 30 miles from the front lines, nor was there agreement about the status of the crucial Ukrainian-held transport hub of Debaltseve, where as many as 8,000 Ukrainian soldiers may be surrounded by rebels. Under the cease-fire accord, Ukraine accepted sweeping measures to grant rebel-held territories more self-rule. But the leaders of Ukraine, Germany and France cautioned that the deal was fragile, and it was unclear why this one would succeed when a similar bargain in September quickly fell apart.
Amid doubts about the deal’s chances for success, the biggest winner appeared to Putin, who short-circuited Western discussions about imposing new economic and military costs for his role in fueling the war.
Russia has denied Western reports that Moscow has sent troops and arms to aid the rebels.
Meanwhile, Ukraine committed itself to politically tricky efforts to grant rebel-held territory new freedoms.
Leaders, diplomats and fighters all agreed that the cease-fire would face great challenges.
There were few mechanisms to ensure that heavy weaponry would be rolled back at least 30 miles from the front lines, nor was there agreement about the status of the crucial Ukrainian-held transport hub Debaltseve, where as many as 8,000 Ukrainian soldiers may be surrounded by rebels.
And a key Ukrainian demand to regain full control of its border with Russia was put off until the end of the year. Rebels have seized hundreds of miles of frontier, creating an open path for weapons and fighters to flow from Russia.And a key Ukrainian demand to regain full control of its border with Russia was put off until the end of the year. Rebels have seized hundreds of miles of frontier, creating an open path for weapons and fighters to flow from Russia.
At least 5,400 people have been killed in the 10-month-old conflict, according to U.N. estimates, and more than a million people have been displaced from their homes. The conflict has raised tensions between Russia and the West to Cold War-era levels. Russia’s March annexation of Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula is a separate flash point that did not enter into this week’s discussions. In a measure of the leaders’ lack of confidence in the deal, they signed no binding documents, leaving that to lower-level Ukrainian, Russian and rebel leaders.
Stone-faced Ukrainian leaders focused on what they had gained, not what they had given up. Instead, the quartet of leaders — from Russia, Germany, France and Ukraine — agreed to a nonbinding statement in which they confirmed the “full respect of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine.”
“It was not easy. In fact, various unacceptable conditions, including retreat and surrender, were made,” said Ukraine’s Western-backed president, Petro Poro­shenko. “But we did not bow to any ultimatums.”
In a measure of the leaders’ lack of confidence in the deal, they signed no binding documents, leaving that to lower-level Ukrainian, Russian and rebel leaders. Instead, the quartet of leaders agreed to a nonbinding statement in which they confirmed the “full respect of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine.”
“We now have a glimmer of hope,” German Chancellor Angela Merkel said. But she also noted that “there are still major hurdles that lie ahead.”“We now have a glimmer of hope,” German Chancellor Angela Merkel said. But she also noted that “there are still major hurdles that lie ahead.”
But the deal was enough to halt talk in both Washington and Brussels of further sanctions. There was scant mention of sending U.S. arms to the Ukrainian military, a specter that last week was enough to send the German and French leaders speeding to Moscow to seek peace with Putin.But the deal was enough to halt talk in both Washington and Brussels of further sanctions. There was scant mention of sending U.S. arms to the Ukrainian military, a specter that last week was enough to send the German and French leaders speeding to Moscow to seek peace with Putin.
“The United States is prepared to consider rolling back sanctions on Russia when the Minsk agreements of September 2014, and now this agreement, are fully implemented,” Secretary of State John F. Kerry said in a statement.“The United States is prepared to consider rolling back sanctions on Russia when the Minsk agreements of September 2014, and now this agreement, are fully implemented,” Secretary of State John F. Kerry said in a statement.
There was similar no-more-sanctions talk in Brussels, where E.U. leaders met to discuss the deal.
The Russian economy has suffered because of international sanctions and the recent sharp fall in the price of oil, but Putin remains immensely popular at home. European leaders have said that they believe he is willing to escalate militarily in Ukraine far beyond the support that the West could offer Kiev.
Still, top officials said Thursday that if this deal falls apart, different approaches would be needed.Still, top officials said Thursday that if this deal falls apart, different approaches would be needed.
“If it fails, there is going to be a change of strategy, not only by the United States but also by some of the European countries,” said Latvian Foreign Minister Edgars Rinkevics.“If it fails, there is going to be a change of strategy, not only by the United States but also by some of the European countries,” said Latvian Foreign Minister Edgars Rinkevics.
One prominent American voice in favor of arming Ukraine said Thursday’s outcome was only to be expected.One prominent American voice in favor of arming Ukraine said Thursday’s outcome was only to be expected.
Putin has “great cards, and he’s playing them well,” said Ivo H. Daalder, a former U.S. ambassador to NATO. “He doesn’t let anyone know what his bottom line is.”Putin has “great cards, and he’s playing them well,” said Ivo H. Daalder, a former U.S. ambassador to NATO. “He doesn’t let anyone know what his bottom line is.”
Daalder added: “We’re constantly telling him what our bottom line is, and that’s that . . . we don’t want a military confrontation, period.”Daalder added: “We’re constantly telling him what our bottom line is, and that’s that . . . we don’t want a military confrontation, period.”
After the painful negotiations — in which it appeared briefly that Ukrainian officials and rebels would walk out in frustration — the sides agreed to a 13-point deal whose core was similar to a September agreement that was never fully complied with and collapsed in recent weeks. Rebels won concessions on territory and autonomy, a measure of Putin’s hard-nosed bargaining.
Poroshenko also promised to pass a new constitution by the end of the year that would decentralize power. That step would require wide backing in the Ukrainian parliament, and it was unclear that he had the political muscle to do it, given the unpopularity of the measure.
Separately Thursday, Ukraine reached a preliminary accord to expand an International Monetary Fund-led bailout to $40 billion to avert a default. The separatist conflict has battered the Ukrainian economy and drained the country’s resources, and the government is close to default.
Deane reported from London. Karoun Demirjian and Natasha Abbakumova in Moscow and Carol Morello and William Branigin in Washington also contributed to this report.Deane reported from London. Karoun Demirjian and Natasha Abbakumova in Moscow and Carol Morello and William Branigin in Washington also contributed to this report.