Ukrainian president: Rebel areas offered greater autonomy but stay part of country
MARIUPOL, Ukraine — Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said Wednesday that rebel-held areas in eastern Ukraine could be granted greater autonomy, but vowed they will always remain part of the country.
In a wide-ranging speech to his cabinet in Ukraine’s capital Kiev, Poroshenko stressed that pro-Russian rebels must consider potential political compromises as the next step after a tenuous cease-fire took hold last week.
The “fate of peace” depends on it, Poroshenko said.
He also made clear, however, how far Ukraine was willing to go: Rejecting any kind of federal-style special status for the contested region.
Poroshenko gave no firm details about the possible expanded autonomy plan, which could be outlined in draft legislation as early as next week.
But a previous peace plan proposed protection of the Russian language, joint patrols of national and local police and more power for Russian-speaking locals to choose their representatives in Kiev.
The separatists have demanded full independence, and it’s unclear whether the autonomy proposals would go far enough.
The cease-fire, meanwhile, appeared largely to hold after nearly a week despite sporadic clashes. Poroshenko also noted progress in prisoner exchanges, saying about 700 captured Ukrainians had been released by the rebels and another 500 could be freed later this week.
Poroshenko insisted the cease-fire pact makes no provisions for Kiev to weaken its sovereignty over rebel-controlled areas.
“Ukraine has made no concessions with regards to its territorial integrity,” he told the
cabinet meeting.
cabinet meeting.
Poroshenko said Ukraine was “regrouping” all its armed forces, claiming it was for defensive action and not a prelude to another offensive. Ukraine’s defense industry was providing up to 30 armored vehicles a day to troops, he added.
But rebel leaders insisted Ukrainian troops were provoking them into opening fire since the cease-fire began.
Ihor Plotnytsky, the head of the self-proclaimed Luhansk People's Republic, said rebels
were only responding “when fired upon and don’t advance ourselves," according to the Interfax news agency.
were only responding “when fired upon and don’t advance ourselves," according to the Interfax news agency.
“It looks like this truce is unlikely to be long, judging by how the Ukrainian army is
rotating and regrouping its forces," he added.
rotating and regrouping its forces," he added.
Poroshenko took advantage of the drop in fighting Monday for a symbolic visit to Mariupol, a strategic port city which came under rebel shelling last week. The area is a key prize in the territorial showdowns in Ukraine, since it occupies a strip that connects the mainland with Crimea, the Black Sea peninsula annexed by Russia in March.
Ukraine and the West accused Russia of actively fomenting the rebel surge with both troops and firepower. Russia denies it.
The Ukrainian leader, a billionaire who swept to power during the current conflict, also said he has signed a law paving the way for the imposition of economic sanctions against companies and individuals suspected of supporting and financing the pro-Russian rebels.
Birnbaum reported from Moscow. Deane reported from Rome.
Anthony Faiola is The Post's Berlin bureau chief. Faiola joined the Post in 1994, since then reporting for the paper from six continents and serving as bureau chief in Tokyo, Buenos Aires, New York and London.
Michael Birnbaum is The Post’s Moscow bureau chief. He previously served as the Berlin correspondent and an education reporter.
