You're reading: Poroshenko vows to impose martial law in case of offensive on Ukrainian forces in Donbas

Ukraine's President Petro Poroshenko has said he will sign a decree imposing martial law across the country in the event of an offensive against the Ukrainian Armed Forces positions in the Donbas region.

“A key position: if the truce is violated, the dividing line crossed, and an offensive organized against the Ukrainian Armed Forces, at that same moment I will sign a decree imposing a martial law and hand it over to parliament,” the president said on the “Year of Poroshenko” program on the occasion of the first anniversary of his presidency, aired on Ukrainian television channels on May 28 evening.

The legal framework for martial law was significantly “improved within this short period of time,” he said. “And I have no doubt that martial law will be imposed within hours, and Ukraine will demonstrate its readiness for war, for victory and defense, for peace,” the president said.