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Hopes of a ceasefire between Ukraine and pro-Russia separatists increased on Thursday after Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko discussed the issue with key western leaders at a NATO summit in Newport, UK.
Poroshenko said that he expected a ceasefire deal to be signed on Friday “for the gradual introduction of the Ukrainian peace plan”. Pro-Moscow rebels have also agreed to issue a ceasefire order if the plan, backed by the Kremlin, is signed.
It is anticipated that the summit will create trust funds for the Ukrainian military, new high-readiness units and deploy soldiers and equipment in NATO members that were formerly a part of the Soviet Bloc, who have now been unnerved by the Russian involvement in Ukraine.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov lashed out against US President Barack Obama and UK Prime Minister David Cameron after the two had argued in an editorial in British newspaper the Times that Russia had “ripped up the rulebook” over Ukraine.
Lavrov denied the involvement of Russian military forces and accused the US of undermining the peace efforts by backing “a pro-war party” in Kiev. He also said that Washington was “drunk on anti-Russian rhetoric” after Western nations had on several occasions accused Russia of training and supplying rebel soldiers to Ukraine.
Although Ukraine has highest priority on the agenda at the talks, the 28 leaders from different NATO members are also expected to discuss the rising menace of Islamic State (IS) extremists in Syria and Iraq, and their problematic withdrawal from Afghanistan.
Obama and Cameron have said that they will not be “cowed” after the beheading of the two US journalists, and promised to “confront” the extremists.
NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said that the alliance will “seriously” examine any Iraqi request to help in its current battle against the IS. Cameron has said that Britain is considering providing munitions to the Kurdish fighters battling the IS.
“To the east, Russia is attacking Ukraine.To the southeast we see the rise of a terrorist organization, the so-called Islamic State.We will take important steps to counter these threats”, Rasmussen said.
