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The European Union holds a new round of talks on Thursday to try to agree on the latest round of sanctions against Moscow as a fragile truce in Ukraine appeared to be largely holding.
EU leaders agreed last week to slap more punitive measures targeting Russia’s stagnant economy but Friday’s ceasefire forced a rethink on the timing of the sanctions.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel called on Wednesday for the new restrictions to be introduced quickly as they could always be lifted if the ceasefire keeps a lid on the five months of fighting in eastern Ukraine.
But EU envoys decided to suspend their debate until Thursday after some members – wary of further economic reprisals by Russia – said they wanted to wait and see what happened on the ground in Ukraine.
In a surprise announcement on Wednesday, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said Russia had withdrawn the bulk of its forces from his country and he pledged greater autonomy for the separatist east in moves that could help sustain the peace pact.

The United States described Poroshenko’s comments on the Russian troops as “a good, tiny first step” but said it was unable to verify what would be a potentially significant development in the five-month crisis.
The West is stepping up sanctions against major Russian businesses and allies of President Vladimir Putin as punishment for what it views as Moscow’s military aggression in the ex-Soviet state.
Nato said last month that Russia had funnelled in at least 1,000 elite troops and heavy weapons and massed 20,000 men on the border to support a rebel counter-surge that has dramatically reversed the fortunes of the Ukrainian army.

	“Ukraine will not make any concessions on issues of its territorial integrity.”

	Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko
Poroshenko said Friday’s ceasefire – the first backed by both Kiev and Moscow since the pro-Russian insurgency erupted in April – had dramatically improved security in the country’s war-ravaged industrial rustbelt.
He said that according to Ukrainian intelligence, 70 per cent of Russia’s forces have been removed.
“This gives us hope that there are good prospects for the peace initiative.”
Moscow denies having even deployed troops or weaponry across the border, and Putin dismissed the Nato claims as a reckless attempt to “revive” the Cold War-era Western military bloc.
Poroshenko – elected in May on a promise to crush the rebellion and preserve Ukraine’s unity – also waded into explosive political territory by promising to submit a bill to parliament granting parts of the east temporary self-rule.
But he stressed this did not mean that the rebel-held territories were slipping from Kiev’s control.
“Ukraine will not make any concessions on issues of its territorial integrity,” he said.
The Kremlin has long sought to turn Ukraine into a loose federation in which the largely Russian-speaking regions of Donetsk and Lugansk regions establish their own trade and diplomatic relations with Moscow.

But the number two in the separatist leadership of Donetsk said the rebels still planned to seek outright independence from Kiev.
“We are not considering remaining part of Ukraine,” Andrei Purgin told reporters.
Friday’s truce was signed in the Belarussian capital Minsk after months of warfare that has killed more than 2,700 people and forced at least half a million from their homes.
Both sides have since reported sporadic violations and correspondents heard artillery fire overnight near the airport in the main insurgent stronghold of Donetsk.

	“We are not considering remaining part of Ukraine.”

	Andrei Purgin
Kiev said the lives of eight Ukrainian servicemen and one civilian had been lost since Friday.
The truce was announced just as the tide had shifted strongly in the insurgents’ favour on the eastern battlefields, prompting suggestions that Kiev had negotiated the deal from a position of weakness.
Sanctions were ratcheted up by Brussels and Washington after the July downing of a Malaysian jet over rebel-held territory that claimed 298 lives and raised concerns about Russia’s alleged military support for the revolt.
A preliminary report by Dutch investigators on Tuesday did not point the figure of blame over the crash but appeared to back claims the plane was hit by a missile.
Kiev and Washington believe it was blown out of the sky by a Russian-supplied ground-to-air system, but Moscow said Kiev bore “full responsibility” for the disaster.
Putin has accused Nato of making up the charges over its involvement in Ukraine to justify its decision to deploy a new force in eastern Europe and encroach on Russia’s western frontier.
“The crisis in Ukraine, which was basically provoked and created by some of our Western partners, is now being used to revive this military bloc [Nato],” Putin said.
 


Divided European Union in new talks on Russia sanctions over Ukraine

German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Wednesday called for new restrictions on Russia to be introduced quickly as they could always be lifted if the ceasefire in Ukraine is maintained. Photo: Reuters

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko meets servicemen of the Ukrainian Army at Mariupol airport on Monday. Photo: AFP

Andrei Purgin, deputy prime minister of the self-proclaimed 'Donetsk People's Republic', pictured in Minsk on September 5. Photo: EPA 

Fighting threatens to scuttle Ukraine ceasefire just hours after its start

Residents film a still smouldering truck in Mariupol. Photo: EPA

Ukraine and pro-Russian rebels agree ceasefire after talks in Minsk

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko speaks to the media on the second day of the Nato summit in Newport. Photo: AFP

Representative of the "People's Republic of Donetsk", Prime Minister Alexander Zakharchenko, Russian ambassador to Ukraine Mikhail Zurabov, former Ukrainian President Leonid Kuchma, rebel leader of the "People's Republic of Lugansk" Igor Plotnitsky and OSCE envoy Heidi Tagliavini sign the ceasefire deal in Minsk. Photo: AFP

Petro Poroshenko talks with German Chancellor Angela Merkel on the sidelines of the Nato summit in Newport. Photo: Xinhua

Ukrainian forces pound pro-Russian rebels near Mariupol ahead of expected truce

A volunteer of the Ukrainian paramilitary Azov battalion waits on an armoured vehicle, as pro-Russia separatists fire heavy artillery, on the outskirts of the key southeastern port city of Mariupol, on Friday. Photo: AFP

Strong explosions rocked by pro-Russian separatists in Mariupol on September 4. Photo: AFP

Russia ‘still attacking Ukraine’ despite peace plan, says Nato chief at key summit

Rasmussen, Cameron and Obama arrive at the Nato summit in Newport, Wales. Photo: EPA

Anders Fogh Rasmussen speaks on the morning of the Nato Summit at the Celtic Manor Resort in Newport, Wales. Photo: EPA

Obama, Rasmussen and Cameron arrive at the Nato summit in Newport, Wales. Photo: EPA

French President Francois Hollande, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko, US President Barack Obama, British Prime Minister David Cameron, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi hold a meeting on the situation in Ukraine. Photo: EPA

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European Union meets with some members arguing ceasefire should be given a chance to succeed before new measures against Russia are considered


Divided European Union in new talks on Russia sanctions over Ukraine

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}European Union meets with some members arguing ceasefire should be given a chance to succeed before new measures against Russia are considered

European Union meets with some members arguing ceasefire should be given a chance to succeed before new measures against Russia are considered