Petro Poroshenko said that “Ukraine will return Donbass” within a year. According to him, this process will take place peacefully

Photo: Global Look Press

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said in an interview with the Turkish TV channel TRT World that Ukraine will peacefully return Donbass within a year.

“Ukraine will peacefully return Donbass within one year,” Poroshenko said in an interview, excerpts from which were published on Twitter by the Ukrainian presidential administration.

Ukraine will peacefully return Donbas within one year, — the President in an interview with @trtworld

— APU (@APUkraine) March 10, 2016

The Ukrainian leader also emphasized that Ukraine is implementing the Minsk agreements. In particular, he said, Kyiv withdrew heavy weapons. Russia, according to Poroshenko, does not fulfill the agreements. “Stage No. 1 of the Minsk agreements is a ceasefire. Ukraine is fulfilling its obligations. Ukraine withdrew heavy weapons, Russia did not,” he said.

“I hate fighting with Russia, but as commander-in-chief I must defend Ukraine,” the Ukrainian president concluded.

The truce regime in the conflict zone in the south-east of Ukraine, which was agreed upon by the leaders of the Normandy Four (Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko, Russian President Vladimir Putin, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Francois Hollande), has been in effect since February 2015. However, the parties have repeatedly reported its violation.

At the end of February this year, Poroshenko assessed the prospect of resuming full-scale hostilities in the Donbass as quite probable. “The prospect of resuming full-scale hostilities in the east in the event of a systematic violation by the aggressor of the obligations assumed by Russia in Minsk is clearly visible on our radars,” he noted.

Kyiv has repeatedly accused Moscow of participating in the conflict in southeastern Ukraine; the Russian Ministry of Defense has rejected these accusations.

Poroshenko promised to return Donbass within a year