Ukraine's Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk urged Russia to restart talks on de-escalation of war in eastern Ukraine. "We are inviting Russia to serious talks in some neutral territory. The United States and European Union countries are helping us in that," Yatsenyuk said after meeting with Norwegian Prime Minister Erna Solberg in Kyiv.
Yatsenyuk’s remarks came as NATO noted a further buildup of Russian or Russian-led troops both on Ukraine’s territory and across the eastern border in Russia, despite a cease-fire agreement signed in September.
“This is a serious military buildup and we call on Russia to pull back its troops,” NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg was quoted by Reuters as saying.
German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier, who visited Kyiv on the same day to meet with the president and the prime minister, also remarked about an increase of tensions in Ukraine, and said the European Commission might arrange an international conference on economic assistance to Ukraine early next year.
“It’s most likely that the European Commission will arrange a special conference early next year to introduce economic stability in Ukraine,” Steinmeier said.
Ukraine’s industrial output declined by 9.4 between January and October, the nation’s statistical agency reported on the same day. Ukraine’s financial needs are estimated to be several fold over the $17 billion earmarked by the International Monetary Fund, and growing amid the Russia-sponsored war.
Russia has consistently denied accusations by western leaders of meddling in Ukraine’s affairs, insisting that such accusations are “hot air.”Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov urged the Ukrainian authorities to “immediately enter an all-encompassing internal Ukrainian dialog with participation of all the regions, and fulfillment of the Minsk agreements.”
The Sept. 5 Minsk agreements and follow-up protocol, signed by the Ukrainian authorities, as well as representatives of the Russian Federation, Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, and separatist leaders from Donetsk and Luhansk regions, laid the foundation for de-escalation of war in the east of Ukraine.
The sides agreed to move troops away from the front line to create a war-free buffer zone between the separatist-controlled parts of the territory and the rest of Ukraine. The central government agreed to give a broader autonomy to the secessionist regions in exchange for a promise to hold local elections there under the Ukrainian law in December.
However, the self-proclaimed governments of Luhansk and Donetsk regions held illegal local elections on Nov. 2, and the central government cut all budget payments to the regions as a result.
Lavrov on Tuesday condemned the move. “Unfortunately, instead of establishing lasting contacts with those who do not accept the result of the military coup, Kyiv took a course towards the social and economic worsening of the east, and threatens to renew the forceful solution of the conflict,” ITAR-TASS agency quoted Lavrov as saying.
A hunger riot in Yenakiyeve, says the caption in this Youtube video.
In the meantime, local media in Luhansk and Donetsk regions reported growing unrest in the regions, where people are running out of both cash and food. Dozens of people in Yenakieve, Donetsk Oblast, came to the mayor to demand social payments and food. Similar incidents have been reported in Torez and Makiyivka.
In Luhansk Oblast, commandant of the town of Chervonopartyzansk told the local site 05366.com.ua that the town no longer reports to the self-proclaimed authorities of the Luhansk People’s Republic.
“We have differences with the leadership of the LNR (Luhansk People’s Republic). We do not report to either them, or Novorossiya,” Denys Ponyzovy was quoted by the website as saying.
The website also noted that at least five townships in Luhansk region are talking about an autonomy and are unhappy with the self-proclaimed Luhansk leadership.
