Ukraine's unhappy ceasefire
Eastern approaches 2014-09-07
Summary:
A TENUOUS ceasefire took hold in Ukraine on September 5th, bringing a lull to fighting that has raged for nearly five months, killing over 2,500 people. The agreement, devised by Russia's Vladimir Putin and signed by Ukrainian and rebel representatives, held for little more than 24 hours since coming into force at 6pm local time. Mr Putin and Petro Poroshenko, his Ukrainian opposite number, continue to express hopes that it will be observed.
But by September 7th, at the time of writing, scepticism was growing. The International Committee of the Red Cross reported that aid trucks bound for Luhansk on Saturday morning were forced to turn back due to shelling. Overnight, there was intense fighting near the big coastal city of Mariupol and Donetsk airport, a key objective of the rebels, was the subject of heavy artillery fire. According to Reuters, one armed rebel joked: “Listen to the sound of the ceasefire. There's a proper battle going on there."
The apparent breakthrough at the negotiating table came on the heels of Continue reading