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Fresh Violence Stalls Ukraine Withdrawal
Ukraine said on Monday that government forces could not proceed with plans to withdraw (BBC)
heavy artillery from front lines of battle in eastern Ukraine, citing
attacks on their positions by pro-Russia separatists. The
government-rebel truce seemed to be strengthened by a prisoner exchange (FT) on Saturday: Kiev exchanged fifty-two rebels for one hundred and forty government military personnel. However, a blast (Deutsche Welle) that killed two people at a Sunday
rally marking the one-year anniversary of the Maidan uprising raised
doubts about the renegotiated peace plan. Foreign ministers from France,
Germany, and Ukraine will meet (Reuters) in Paris on Tuesday to try to get the cease-fire on track.
Analysis
"Many
Ukrainians are still expecting a victory from Poroshenko and his
government. But the sad truth is that Russia is a superior opponent, one
which Ukraine's military cannot hope to defeat. Ukraine's strength,
displayed on the Maidan, is that its people can organize and stand up
against political lies. Russia should fear this courage of the people.
Civil society is a powerful force, one that will one day succeed not
only in Ukraine but also in Russia," writes Bernd Johann for Deutsche Welle.
"Ukraine
might not get the luxury of peace to make its reforms succeed.
Disillusionment among civil society is mounting and disappointment with
governance has deepened. For Ukraine to recover its financial stability
and demonstrate the impact of reforms to its citizens, it will need more than just the minimum to survive," argues Iskra Kirova in Al Jazeera.
"What happens in Ukraine—not the financial standoff with Greece—will be the ultimate test
of whether European and transatlantic unity endure. The fault lines
extending from Ukraine are undermining the fundamental values that have
underpinned Europe's postwar peace and prosperity. Failure to defend
those values in Ukraine will cause them to unravel far beyond our
borders. A West that is divided in this crisis cannot stand," cautions
former Ukrainian Prime Minister Yuliya Tymoshenko at Project Syndicate. | 
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