Putin & Poroshenko talk of peace during WWII anniversary

Sunday was a World War II commemoration day in both Russia and Ukraine.

While remembering the Nazi Germany’s invasion of the Soviet Union, Vladimir Putin expressed the need for a real dialogue between the fighting parties in Ukraine: ‘It’s necessary to start detailed, substantial dialogue. This is the key to success. Unfortunately, what we see according to objective monitoring tells us that the military actions continue.’

In Kiev, President Petro Poroshenko spoke of the present reality of war in Ukraine during a commemoration of those who died in WWII: ‘The issue of war has again become a reality in Ukraine. The smell, the stench of war is in the air today. That’s why I made a decision to give peace a chance,’ he said.

However, in the separatists camp there were no talks of peace. The commemoration day was marked by the welcoming of new recruits who pledged to devote themselves to the rebel cause and not take into consideration the 7-day ceasefire announced by President Poroshenko.

Under such circumstances, whether the rebels are influenced or not by Putin anymore, remains unclear.