President of Ukraine : Ukrainian forces are allowed to respond to enemy's fire
"Ukrainian Army serviceman stationed in East Ukraine has been given an order to open fire at the enemy if their life is in danger" – stated the Ukrainian President, Petro Poroshenko, at the meeting of the Ukrainian National Security Council.
“Ukrainian servicemen have a strict order to open fire in case of emergency. We won’t let enemy catch us off guard.
Despite the truce, the situation in the East of Ukraine remains tense and even deteriorating" – said the President.
"There have been recent clashes with the Pro-Kremlin separatists. The Armed Forces of Ukraine had shown good military fit, the immediate and effective reaction to the attacks of the enemy's sabotage and reconnaissance units ” – stated the President.
"All these attempts to undermine the Minsk agreement demonstrate that the risks and threats to the national security, sovereignty, territorial integrity and Ukraine’s independence remain extremely high" – he added.
At the same time, he emphasised that Ukrainian actions are defensive and Ukraine respects the peace agreements despite the provocations of the pro-Russian militants.
The President also added that Ukraine is taking part in ongoing consultations with EU countries and the Transatlantic Partners on the extension of sanctions against the aggressor country.