As the Ukraine Crisis prolongs, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon today said that military alone cannot provide solutions the Ukrainian crisis and implementation of a new ceasefire is fundamental.
“The secretary general is aware of reports that armed militias have regrouped in Donetsk and Luhansk and that the Ukrainian forces are engaging in intensified military activity,” Xinhua quoted Ban’s spokesman as saying Monday.
“The continuation of a political and diplomatic process towards a definitive cessation of violence and a peaceful resolution of the crisis is critical,” the spokesman said.
“The secretary general urges the Ukrainian authorities to exercise maximum restraint and to take every possible step to ensure the protection of civilians in these areas,” the spokesman added.
Thousands of pro-Russian militants Sunday gathered in Donetsk after government forces retook some of their main strongholds of Sloviansk and Kramatorsk in eastern Ukraine.
The rebels still hold the regional capitals of Donetsk and Luhansk and other key areas.
As a response to the recapture of the town by the military, the rebels destroyed three bridges Monday that led into the city of Donetsk.
Meanwhile, The European Union (EU) has said that the EU institutions, member states, the Ukrainian government and international donors will hold a high-level meeting at Brussels today to discuss key priorities and support for Ukraine.
“The EU has been providing wide-ranging political, financial and technical assistance to Ukraine’s domestic reform process. Other international donors have also been very active,” Xinhua quoted European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso as saying.
“We will meet on July 8, together with the Ukrainian government, to ensure effective coordination of our common efforts.”
The meeting will be organised by the European Commission services in cooperation with the European External Action Service (EEAS). It will be chaired by Stefan Fule, commissioner for Enlargement and European Neighbourhood Policy.
In between all this bonhomie, Russia has announced that it will take measures against Moldova, Ukraine and Georgia for their agreements with the European Union (EU).
The EU signed the agreements with the three countries in Brussels June 27. The Moldovan parliament ratified the document Wednesday.
“Obviously, this will seriously affect (Moldova’s) trade-economic relations with its international partners, including the Customs Union countries and members of the CIS free trade zone,” Xinhua quoted PM Dmitry Medvedev as saying at a government meeting.
The Eurasian Common Economic Space (CES), created by Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan in 2012, planned to discuss possible protective measures July 16, Medvedev said.