22 August 2014
Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko intends to propose a peace plan at the Aug. 26 trilateral summit in Minsk, the presidential press-service reported on Aug. 21. “Ukraine wants peace,” he told journalists. His government will call for the removal of fighters, a proposal that he said he is confident will be agreed upon. The summit will involve the top leaders of the European Union, the Eurasian Union and the Ukrainian government.
The Russian Foreign Ministry requested on Aug. 21 that the United Nations Security Council issue a statement that calls for a ceasefire in Ukraine during the period in which its humanitarian aid is delivered. The conditions for the quickest delivery and distribution of the humanitarian aid have been achieved, the Foreign Ministry said, thanking the Red Cross for its cooperation in delivering the materials.
Ukrainian border and customs officials began on Aug. 21 to process the first four KamAZ trucks carrying Russian humanitarian cargo at the Donetsk border crossing at the Rostov Oblast, reported the State Border Service.
Zenon Zawada: We don’t think it’s a coincidence that the arrival of the humanitarian convoy and the call for ceasefire has occurred five days ahead of the Mink summit. Both sides not only want to give the appearance of wanting peace, but are genuinely interested. In our view, Poroshenko has to offer enough to make Putin appear victorious before the Russian public but without sacrificing Ukraine’s security interests.
Therefore, concessions can be offered on Russian language “protection” (Russian is more widely spoken in Ukraine than Ukrainian) and political decentralization, yet without capitulating on Putin’s federalization goals. Perhaps even a natural gas price contract can emerge. If the talks fail to produce even minimal compromise, Putin will either have to escalate the conflict or face a military defeat.