President Petro Poroshenko has urged Ukrainians to mend their differences, saying in an annual address that only unity can keep the country from descending into chaos in the face of what he called a persistent Russian military threat."At a time when Russia's aggression against Ukraine is still ongoing, when the military threat from the east is the most difficult strategic challenge, the issue of national unity and political consolidation is a matter of life and death for our country," Poroshenko said in the televised speech to parliament on September 6, the opening day of its new session.
