2014-06-19 19:13:00

Russian troops move to Ukraine amid heavy fighting


(Vatican Radio) Heavy fighting has erupted between Ukrainian government forces and pro-Russian separatist despite pledged by Ukraine's new president of a unilateral ceasefire. It came while the NATO military alliance said Russian troops  moved back to the Ukrainian border.

Listen to Stefan Bos' report: 

Despite the turmoil, President Petro Poroshenko said his nation would sign a key trade agreement with the European Union. 

NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said Thursday that at least a few thousand more Russian troops have been deployed to the Ukrainian border in what he called "a very regrettable step backward."

He said, "If they're deployed to seal the border and stop the flow of weapons and fighters that would be a positive step." But, he added, "that's not what we're seeing."

NATO has expressed concerns about Russian tanks entering eastern Ukraine where pro-Russian separatists have declared independence. 

MORE TENSIONS

Adding to tensions are reports that heavy fighting erupted between government forces and pro-Russian rebels in the Donetsk region despite talk of a truce.

Those clashes overshadowed an announcement by Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko that his nation would sign a historic association agreement with the European Union on June 27.  

Yet the chocolate-tycoon-turned-president hopes to have a unilateral ceasefire in place before that date. 

In one hopeful sign, Ukrainian troops and pro-Russian separatists near Donetsk were said to have arranged a local truce for the handover of 49 bodies. The human remains were of victims of last weekend’s downing of a military transport plane by pro-Russian rebels. 

BRIEF CEASEFIRE 

A rebel, his face partly covered, confirmed that the brief ceasefire allowed the transport of the bodies. "They were being carried in a container on board a lorry." 

He complained that when vehicle was driven over to the Ukrainian troops his side hadn’t received anything in return. “From the moment that we handed over the remains, the ceasefire was over, and the war goes on until we win,” he added.

Yet President Poroshenko hopes to persuade Moscow to back a plan that would include a ceasefire and amnesty for pro-Russian rebels if they lay down their weapons. 

While the Kremlin has cautiously welcomed the proposal, it remains unclear whether it will be willing, or able, to persuade pro-Russian rebels to end a fight which killed hundreds of people and displaced thousands more.      

The United Nations reported this week that at least 356 people, including 257 civilians, have died in eastern Ukraine since May 7.








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