What war? Kremlin denies it agreed 'ceasefire' with Ukraine because it claims Russia was never involved in a conflict
The US leader (bottom right) is expected to launch biting
criticism of Vladimir Putin today in Tallinn, the capital of Estonia,
once part of the USSR, before he flies to Wales for the NATO summit
opening tomorrow. The major exercises are the latest military drills
called by Putin (pictured top right in Mongolia( amid the highest
east-west tension since the end of the Cold War. The diplomatic
volte-face from the Russian and Ukrainian sides came as Ukrainian
soldiers found Russian-made Konkur anti-tank missile launchers in
Slaviansk, in the separatist east (main picture)
What war? Kremlin denies it agreed 'ceasefire' with Ukraine because it claims Russia was NEVER in conflict (as Kiev finds Moscow-made arms in separatist east)
- Petro Poroshenko's office announces agreement on ceasefire in Donbass
- Moscow says it could not agree to ceasefire because it was not in conflict
- Obama visits ex-Soviet Baltics to stress as NATO members they would be defended in the event of an attack
- U.S. president says no hope of settlement if Russia keeps arming rebels
- Russia meanwhile announces major exercises involving its nuclear forces
- Exercises this month will involve more than 4,000 troops
A 'permanent ceasefire' in the Ukraine conflict appeared to unravel today almost as soon as it had been announced.
The truce was announced by Kiev president Petro Poroshenko after an early morning phone call with Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin.
However,
Moscow rapidly said Mr Putin had not agreed to a ceasefire and could
not do so, claiming he was not even party to the conflict.
Meanwhile, reports made clear fighting continued on the ground in eastern Ukraine
Mr Poroshenko soon weakened his bold claim of agreement on a 'permanent ceasefire' to a 'ceasefire regime'.
Soldiers of the so-called 'Kiev-1'
police forces battalion check parts of Russian-made 9M113 'Konkurs'
portable wire-guided anti-tank missile launchers discovered in the
basement of a building in Slaviansk, Ukraine
A soldier of the so-called 'Kiev-1'
police forces battalion carries parts of a Russian-made 9M113 'Konkurs'
portable wire-guided anti-tank missile launcher discovered in the
basement of a building in Slaviansk, Ukraine
The Kremlin has said Russian President
Vladimir Putin (pictured today in Mongolia) and Ukrainian leader Petro
Poroshenko had agreed on steps towards peace in eastern Ukraine
At
the same time his prime minister Arseny Yatsenyuk said Ukraine wanted
to put a wall on its border with 'terrorist state' Russia, and intended
to draw up a new military doctrine naming its neighbour as an 'aggressor
nation'.
Meanwhile,
pro-Russian rebels in Donetsk dismissed the claims as 'some sort of a
game by Kiev', which came ahead of the NATO summit in Wales opening
tomorrow.
Deputy
premier of the Donetsk People's Republic Andrei Purgin said the
separatists fighting with Ukraine had not been involved in the decision.
US
president Barack Obama - speaking in the ex-Soviet republic of Estonia -
warned that it was too early to hope a truce could hold.
'We haven't seen a lot of follow-up on so-called announced ceasefires,' said Mr Obama.
'Having
said that, if in fact Russia is prepared to stop financing, arming,
training, in many cases joining with Russian troops, activities in
Ukraine and is serious about a political settlement, that is something
we all hope for.'
Mounting a show
of solidarity with NATO allies, Obama, speaking from Estonia, also
announced plans to send more Air Force units and aircraft to the Baltics
The
announcement from Mr Poroshenko followed a Kremlin claim that the two
leaders had largely agreed on steps to end the conflict causing
devastation in eastern Ukraine, with more than one million people
fleeing their homes.
Mr
Poroshenko's office said: 'As a result of the conversation (between the
Ukrainian president and Putin) agreement was reached on a permanent
ceasefire in the Donbass.
'Mutual understanding was achieved concerning the steps which will enable the establishment of peace.'
Ukrainian forces said there had been no let-up in the fighting.
'At
the moment that journalists told me of a ceasefire, we came under fire
twice,' said Serhiy Melnichuk, commander of the pro-Kiev Aidar volunteer
militia battalion.
'We have received no orders yet. Russia needs to remove its forces from our territory.
'We have to stop this slaughter, we are destroying the nation.'
U.S. President Barack Obama reviews
the honour guard as he is welcomed by Estonian President Toomas Hendrik
Ilves at Kadriorg Palace in Tallinn, Estonia
Estonian pupils
wave US flags in front of the Presidential palace in Tallinn's Kadriorg
district as they greet President Barack Obama
The
Russian leader's spokesman stressed: 'Putin and Poroshenko really did
discuss the steps that would lead to a ceasefire between militias and
Ukrainian security forces.
'Russia cannot physically agree on a ceasefire, because it is not a party to the conflict.'
Vladimir
Antyfeyev, a senior leader of the Russia-backed rebels whom Ukrainian
forces have been fighting since April, told The Associated Press he
could not say whether the separatists would adhere to a ceasefire
because he was not commanding the forces. 'But I definitely welcome
this,' he said.
The rebels ignored a 10-day unilateral cease-fire that Poroshenko had called in June.
The announcement came as President Obama today arrived in the former Soviet Union for talks on the conflict.
Mounting
a show of solidarity with NATO allies, Mr Obama also announced plans to
send more Air Force units and aircraft to the Baltics, as he sought to
reassure nations on edge over Russia's involvement in Ukraine.
Mr
Obama's one-day visit to Estonia was designed to emphasize the U.S.
commitment to defending its allies and ramp up consequences for Russian
President Vladimir Putin.
Mr
Obama, ticking through a list of U.S. military resources already at
work in the region, said the U.S. has a duty under the NATO charter to
the alliance's collective defense.
'It
is unbreakable, it is unwavering, it is eternal. And Estonia will never
stand alone,' Obama said at a joint news conference with Estonian
President Toomas Hendrik Ilves.
Standing
shoulder to shoulder with Estonia's president, Mr Obama called
Estonia's Amari Air Base an ideal location to base those additional
forces, which come as NATO nations prepare to bolster a rapid-response
force for the region.
Mr
Obama held up Estonia as an example of how every member of the military
alliance needs to do its fair share for the collective defense of all
28 members. The US and Estonia are two of four NATO countries that
fulfill their pledges to contribute 2 per cent of their GDP to defense
spending.
Russia announced major war games involving its nuclear forces as Mr Obama arrived in Estonia.
The
major exercises are the latest military drills called by Mr Putin amid
the highest east-west tension since the end of the Cold War.
The exercise to be held this month will involve more than 4,000 troops in Altai and south-central Russia.
Dmitry
Andreyev, a major in the strategic rocket forces, said forces would
practice countering irregular units and high-precision weapons, and
'conducting combat missions in conditions of active radio-electronic
jamming and intensive enemy actions in areas of troop deployment.'
The US leader is greeted by Urmas
Paet, Estonia's Minister of Foreign Affairs, left, and Toomas Kahur,
Estonia's Chief of Protocol, centre, as he arrives in Tallinn
Security forces check the perimeter as
President Barack Obama and President Toomas Hendrik Ilves of Estonia
meet at the Kadriorg Palace in Tallinn, Estonia
Supersonic
MiG-31 fighter-interceptors and Su-24MR reconnaissance aircraft would
take part and the scale of air power involved was unprecedented for
exercises of this kind.
The
announcement came as Putin said he largely agreed with Kiev leader
Petro Poroshenko on ending the bloodshed in Ukraine, following a recent
conversation. However no substantive details were given.
'The
heads of state exchanged opinions about what needs to be done first in
order to bring an end to the bloodletting in the southeast of the
country as soon as possible,' said Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov.
'The
views of the presidents of the two countries about possible ways out of
this difficult crisis overlap to a considerable degree.'
Over
the weekend, the European Union leaders agreed to prepare a new round
of sanctions that could be enacted in a week, after NATO accused Russia
of sending tanks and troops into southeastern Ukraine.
Obama was expected to launch biting
criticism of Vladimir Putin today in Tallinn, the capital of Estonia,
once part of the USSR, before he flies to Wales for the NATO summit
opening tomorrow
During
the Nato summit in Wales, the alliance will also agree on a more robust
rapid response force that will involve positioning more troops and
equipment in the Baltics and elsewhere in Eastern Europe.
It
is unclear whether the plan will satisfy the concerns of the Baltic
nations, who have been pressing Nato for permanent bases in the region.
Last
night it was reported that Britain is to order 600 Army infantry
vehicles as part of its commitment to raise defence spending.
Defence
minister Julian Brazier said a platoon may also be sent in a fortnight
to join Rapid Trident, the joint US–Ukraine exercise.
Ukrainian soldiers injured in fighting arrive at Tegel Airport, Berlin, for further treatment in one of four hospitals
Over the weekend, the European Union
leaders agreed to prepare a new round of sanctions that could be enacted
in a week, after NATO accused Russia of sending tanks and troops into
southeastern Ukraine
In
a speech today, Defence Secretary Michael Fallon will warn that Nato's
'credibility' depends on European leaders boosting military spending.
European
Union nations are also looking at sporting sanctions to punish Russia
for its involvement in the Ukraine crisis but diplomats say the
immediate targeting of high-profile events like the 2018 World Cup is
unlikely at this stage, the Associated Press has reported.
An
EU official with knowledge of the proposals said today that sports
sanctions are under consideration as the EU seeks to get new measures
ready by the weekend.
Diplomats
from three member states said it was unrealistic to think the 28-nation
group would try to impose such measures now, and said ambassadors would
more likely seek a deepening of current sanctions.
Even
before the Ukraine crisis, relations between the Baltic countries and
Russia were chilly. Moscow routinely accuses them of discriminating
against their Russian-speaking minorities.
About
a third of Estonia's 1.3 million residents have Russian as their mother
tongue. Many of them feel detached from Estonian society and get their
news from Kremlin-controlled Russian TV stations.
The
Baltics were invaded by the Soviet Union and Nazi Germany during World
War II. After the Soviet Union crumbled, the Baltic countries turned to
the West and joined the European Union and Nato in 2004, much to the
chagrin of Russia.
MISSING RUSSIAN PHOTOGRAPHER 'FOUND DEAD IN UKRAINE'
A photographer working for a Russian state-owned news agency has been found dead in Ukraine, it has been reported.
Andrei Stenin, a photojournalist with the RIA Novosti news agency, went missing in early August, his whereabouts unknown.
The
agency's director-general, Dmitry Kiselyov, has today said in a
statement that the remains in a charred car found outside the rebel
stronghold of Donetsk have been identified as Stenin's.
Kiselyov said the car apparently burst into flames after coming under fire from Ukrainian forces.
Colleagues
in Russia led a campaign for the release of the 33-year-old reporter,
insisting that he was captured by the Ukrainian army.
The Kiev government said it had no information about what happened to Stenin, who was embedded with the pro-Russian rebels.
Russian photographer Andrei Stenin,
who was missing since early August, has been found dead in Ukraine, the
RIA-Novosti press agency has announced
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