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Ukrainian president advocates quick ceasefire in eastern regions

16 June 2014 23:12 (UTC +04:00)

Baku-APA. Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko on Monday reiterated his commitment to reaching a ceasefire in the eastern part of the country as soon as possible, APA reports quoting Xinhua.

"We are in urgent need to establish a mode, under which we would be able to guarantee the safety of all people who live in Donetsk and Lugansk regions," Poroshenko said during a meeting of the National Security and Defense Council.

As part of a peace plan to end violence in eastern Ukraine, the government will facilitate the disarmament process and grant an amnesty to those insurgents who have not committed serious crimes, he said.

He also offered to hold early local elections in the east and pledged to grant more powers to regions, amending the country's constitution, in an effort to bring peace to the rebel-held areas.

The president voiced his hope that the conflicting sides in eastern Ukraine would cease fire by the end of this week.

Violence continued in the crisis-hit regions over the last week and escalated on Saturday, when rebels shot down a Ukrainian military plane killing 49 troops.

The unrest in the mostly Russian-speaking eastern part of Ukraine started shortly after the ouster of former President Viktor Yanukovych in February and the Crimean Peninsula's affiliation with Russia in March.

The insurgents, who initially demanded more autonomy and closer ties with Russia, in April seized administrative buildings and declared independence from Kiev.

In an attempt to reassert control over the region, the Ukrainian military launched an "anti-terror" operation against the insurgents. So far, the violence in eastern Ukraine has claimed the lives of more than 250 people.