Russia would welcome truce in Ukraine, Lavrov says

 

Russia would welcome truce in Ukraine, Lavrov saysRussian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Friday that Moscow would welcome a longer truce between the warring parties in Ukraine, but warned it should not resemble a “postponement of ultimatum,” RIA Novosti reports.Commenting on media reports that Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko is ready to extend the ceasefire by 72 hours, the Russian foreign policy chief said “this fact should be welcomed, but we hope that it would not be just a 72-hour postponement of the ultimatum,” RIA Novosti quotes him as saying.The ceasefire between government forces and eastern Ukrainian independence supporters is to end at 10.00 p.m. local time [19:00 GMT] Friday.Last Friday, President Poroshenko unilaterally ordered a week-long ceasefire in the country’s east and unveiled a 15-point peace plan, which included guarantees to independence troops agreeing to lay down their arms before the ceasefire elapsed.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Friday that Moscow would welcome a longer truce between the warring parties in Ukraine, but warned it should not resemble a “postponement of ultimatum,” RIA Novosti reports.Commenting on media reports that Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko is ready to extend the ceasefire by 72 hours, the Russian foreign policy chief said “this fact should be welcomed, but we hope that it would not be just a 72-hour postponement of the ultimatum,” RIA Novosti quotes him as saying.The ceasefire between government forces and eastern Ukrainian independence supporters is to end at 10.00 p.m. local time [19:00 GMT] Friday.Last Friday, President Poroshenko unilaterally ordered a week-long ceasefire in the country’s east and unveiled a 15-point peace plan, which included guarantees to independence troops agreeing to lay down their arms before the ceasefire elapsed.