KIEV, Ukraine
Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has said that Russia has deployed a "record number" of its armed forces along the Ukraine-Russia border.
"We have received information that a record number of Russian armed forces are stationed along the border with Ukraine," the president told Ukraine's Channel 1+1 on Sunday night.
"This information is not only from our own intelligence sources. We have also received confirmation from NATO, the United States and the EU," Poroshenko said.
Noting that over 64,000 Ukrainian troops were now serving in what is called the Anti-Terrorist Operation zone in eastern Ukraine, Poroshenko said such a "prepared and trained military power with a high morale" was capable of thwarting any attacks to defend country.
"Ukraine is a sovereign and independent state," he said, adding that any attempts to put pressure on Kiev regarding constitutional amendments on decentralization and the status of certain areas in Donetsk and Luhansk regions would be "fruitless".
Stressing that the crisis in the Donbas region could only be solved through the Feb. 12 Minsk cease-fire agreement, Poroshenko said that the deal, as well as the international support for Ukraine, and the continued sanctions against Russia had "produced results".
Signed in the Belarus capital between Ukraine and pro-Russian separatists, the Minsk deal includes the withdrawal of heavy weaponry from combat areas, and of all foreign armed formations; the release of all hostages and unlawfully detained persons as well as political reforms and decentralization in the eastern Ukrainian regions.
However, the agreement has failed to be implemented fully, as daily reports of breaches and clashes abound with both sides blaming each other for violating the accord.
