Ukrainian President: Russia keeps 700 tanks and more than 1,000 artillery systems in the Donbas
Following a visit to Serbia, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said during an interview with the Serbian TV channel RTS that there are no “red lines” for the Russian Federation, and that the conflict in the Donbas is not frozen. According to him, the war is still continuing.
“First of all, Russia doesn’t have ‘red lines’. If, in January 2014, you had asked me: is it possible that Russia carries out an armed aggression against Ukraine? I would have said that it’s not possible,” Poroshenko stated. “The same goes for the Crimea. There are no “red lines” for Russia, including open war.”
The President emphasized: “It’s not a frozen conflict. It’s a hot war. Ukraine is fighting for peace and for the return of Ukrainian sovereignty over the occupied territories. Nothing more.”
According to him, there are three important documents relating to this issue: the Minsk agreements of September 5, 2014 and September 19, as well as the document of February 12, 2015.
Poroshenko went on to say: “These complex measures include the withdrawal of foreign troops and military equipment from the Ukrainian territory. At the moment, there are 700 Russian tanks, more than a thousand artillery systems and 300 multiple launch rocket systems in the occupied territories. Even the German Bundeswehr has less in service. This is a real aggression against a sovereign and independent state of Ukraine.”