"The best
way to resolve this conflict is via the diplomatic efforts, but these
diplomatic efforts have to be underpinned by a strong Ukrainian military and a
strong Ukrainian army," Prime Minister of Ukraine Arseniy
Yatsenyuk emphasized speaking at the Atlantic Council
in Washington during a working visit to the US on Tuesday, June 9.
He stressed that the Minsk deal is "the only
solution", which is on the table: "But the chances to implement
entirely the Minsk deal is not very high as were expected."
Arseniy Yatsenyuk informed that Russia-led terrorists renewed their
offensive in the east of Ukraine:"More than 32 attacks happened in the last 24 hours."
"We urge the
Russia Federation to implement the Minsk deal. It all depends personally on
President Putin - whether he is willing to reach peace and entirely implement
and enforce the Minsk deal. My
take is that Russia is not eager to have peace and stability, neither in
Ukraine nor in Europe," he stressed.
The Prime
Minister of Ukraine recalled that together with partners from the USA we
started to train the National Guard of Ukraine, "in order to increase the
durability of Ukrainian military and to contain and to deter Russia."
Arseniy Yatsenyuk stressed the need to launch a large-scale program
that would include the supply of defensive weapon for the Ukrainian army.
The Prime
Minister noted the importance for Ukraine to have "a very strong statement
and strong stance of all G7 member states" following the G-7 summit in
Germany: "We appreciate the statement made by the leaders of the G7
countries, agreed to
keep those sanctions in place, warning they could be ramped up unless Russia
fully implements the Minsk agreement."
"What would full implementation of
that accord look like? "When Putin
and his Russian-led terrorists get out of Ukraine. This is the ultimate goal of the
Minsk deal. Key terms – to close the border, to
withdraw troops, to stop the supply of weapon, artillery and lethal equipment
to Russia-led terrorists," Arseniy Yatsenyuk stressed.