The Kremlin denies Putin has agreed to peacekeepers in eastern Ukraine

Vladimir Putin’s press secretary has denied a report by Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko’s office saying that Putin consented to the potential deployment of international peacekeepers in eastern Ukraine.

According to Dmitry Peskov, Putin’s spokesman, “the Russian side has never contested the idea of peacekeepers, but neither the Russian side nor any side that signed the Minsk Agreement as a guarantor can consent to peacekeepers. Because first there needs to be an agreement by the two sides of the conflict: ‘a’ Kiev, and ‘b’ the Donbas.”

RIA Novosti

• Since early 2015, there has been talk of introducing peacekeepers in eastern Ukraine. Kiev has signaled its preference for a UN-led peacekeeping mission, whereas rebels in the Donbas have said they would only accept a peacekeeping mission if Russia is allowed to play the leading role.