Ukraine Unveils 10Km "No Man's Land" Buffer With Russia; Ukraine Peace D.O.A: Russian

Ukraine President Unveils 10Km "No Man's Land" Buffer With Russia; Declares Unilateral Cease-Fire

http://www.zerohedge.com/sites/defau.../picture-5.jpg Submitted by Tyler Durden on 06/20/2014 12:19 -0400

UPDATE: Not going well... UKRAINE REBELS SAY WON'T DISARM UNTIL KIEV WITHDRAWS TROOPS:AFP
Petro Poroshenko earlier called Russia's Vladmimir Putin to explain his 14-point plan (to be unveiled to the public later today) to curb the pro-Russia insurgency in the east. As AFP reports:

• UKRAINE PRESIDENT SAYS UNILATERAL CEASEFIRE TO BEGIN TODAY TO JUNE 27
  
• Ukraine peace plan to call for 10-km buffer zone on Russia border

As Reuters notes, it was not clear if the whole of the proposed demilitarized no-man's land would be on Ukraine's side of the border or part of it on the Russian side. It was also not clear what the status of people living in border areas would be. Putin's initial response is to demand the "immediate end to military operations" against pro-Russian separatists.

Reuters reports,

President Petro Poroshenko will call for the creation of a 10-km (6.25-mile) buffer zone on the border with Russia under a 14-point plan to bring peace to east Ukraine, according to an unofficial copy published by media on Friday.

Ukraine says fighters from Russia and supplies of guns and other military equipment have been coming into the country to support pro-Russian separatists, and tightening control of the 1,900-km (1,190-mile) border is Ukraine's main security headache.

Details of the proposal to create a 10-km buffer zone, contained in a photographed copy of the 14-point plan and carried in Ukrainian media, were not spelled out.

It was not clear if the whole of the proposed demilitarized no-man's land would be on Ukraine's side of the border or part of it on the Russian side. It was also not clear what the status of people living in border areas would be.

Acting Defence Minister Mykhailo Koval told parliament on Friday that government forces were now back in control of the border and there was now no possibility of military equipment being ferried in to the rebels from Russia.

and AFP adds,

Ukraine's new President Petro Poroshenko on Friday released a 14-point peace plan to curb a pro-Russian insurgency in the east, calling for immediate disarmament and promising to decentralise power through constitutional reform.

The plan also drops criminal charges against rebels who committed no "serious crimes" and provides "a guaranteed corridor for Russian and Ukrainian mercenaries to leave" the conflict zone, Kiev's private Inter TV station reported on its website.

Earlier Poroshenko called Russia's Vladimir Putin to discuss the plan to end the bloodshed, the second late night phone conversation between the leaders this week, the Kremlin said.

"Poroshenko informed the Russian head of state regarding the main points of his plan to regulate the situation in south-east Ukraine," the Kremlin said in a statement overnight Thursday.

Putin gave "a series of comments" on the plan stressing an "immediate end to the military operation" that was launched by Kiev against pro-Russian separatist militia in Ukraine's eastern regions of Donetsk and Lugansk.

Let's hope the cease-fire lasts more than minutes... or is this simply another way to ensnare Russia and force US/EU hands to enforce the sanctions they have been threatening. It seems the argument over where the "no man's land" starts and ends will be a non-starter.

http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2014-0...lateral-cease-

Ukraine Peace D.O.A: Russian Border Guard 'Severely Injured' As Kremlin Calls Plan An "Ultimatum"

http://www.zerohedge.com/sites/defau.../picture-5.jpg Submitted by Tyler Durden on 06/20/2014 14:29 -0400



Petro Poroshenko's 14-point peace-plan is not going well (before it's even unleashed). First, Russia blasted back that they were "surprised" by comments on their support and that "this does not represent reality," and is more an ultimatum than a peace-plan:

• *RUSSIA SAYS UKRAINE CEASE-FIRE ISN'T OFFER OF PEACE: IFX
• *RUSSIA SAYS UKRAINE CEASE-FIRE LACKS KEY TALKS OFFER: IFX
• *POROSHENKO GIVING ULTIMATUM TO REBELS TO DISARM: IFX

Then things escalated further as Interfax reports, the 'severe injury' of a Russian border guard and ITAR-TASS reports "Moscow awaits explanations from the authorities in Kiev for the shelling of the Russian territory, which took place on the background of President Petro Proroshenko’s claims about a ceasefire."

Poroshenko explained: "This is done for terrorists to be able to lay down arms, and those who fail to do so will be eliminated."
He said during the ceasefire, “combat operations will only be carried out for retaliation.”
But Russia is not amused...

Moscow is surprised at the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry’s comment on the phone conversation of the heads of the Russian and Ukrainian foreign policy departments, the Russian Foreign Ministry said Friday.

“We were surprised to familiarize ourselves with the comment on this conversation made by the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry that says that the ministers support the Ukrainian president’s plan “with emphasis on effective control of the Ukrainian border. This does not correspond to reality,” the ministry said.

And as ITAR-TASS reports, the cease fire is not going well...

Moscow awaits explanations from the authorities in Kiev for the shelling of the Russian territory, which took place on the background of President Petro Proroshenko’s claims about a ceasefire, a spokesman for the Kremlin said Friday.

Customs officer severely wounded in incident at Novoshakhtinsk today, Russian Foreign Ministry says on website.

Russia condemns “aggressive act,” demands investigation

Who could have known that a peace plan that offered nothing to Russia would not work?
Russia demands an apology... (via reuters)

Russia said a ceasefire announced by Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko on Friday was not a peace offer but an ultimatum to pro-Russian separatists, Russian news agencies cited the Kremlin press service as saying.

"This is not an invitation to peace and negotiations but an ultimatum to militias in the southeast of Ukraine to lay down their arms," the Kremlin was quoted as saying in a statement.

It also said a Russian checkpoint on the border with Ukraine had come under fire and demanded "an explanation and an apology" from Kiev.

So to summarize:
1) Russia does not agree with Peace plan terms
2) Russia sees it as an ultimatum (threat)
3) The cease-fire has allegedly already been broken


http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2014-0...plan-ultimatum