Ukraine’s ex-president slams peace deal with separatists
Posted October 2, 2019 5:21 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
KYIV, Ukraine — Ukraine’s former president has accused the current government of betraying the country’s interests by signing accords with Russian-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine.
Petro Poroshenko, who left office earlier this year after losing the presidential election to comedian Volodymyr Zelenskiy, told reporters Wednesday that the agreement with the separatists is “playing into Russia’s hands.” Poroshenko said Ukraine did not receive any guarantees that it would regain control of all of its border with Russia but instead committed itself to holding a local election in an area it does not even control.
Zelenskiy on Tuesday hailed the accords as a major step toward resolving the five-year conflict between the separatists and government troops that has killed more than 13,000 people since 2014. He insisted the election in eastern Ukraine would be held only after Ukraine regains control of the border.
The Associated Press
