Ukraine Has Reached an Agreement With Separatists In The East On Local Elections

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and American actor Tom Cruise met in Kyiv on Monday.Ukrainian Presidential Press Office

Sydney Morning Herald: Kiev agrees to election for eastern Ukraine zones under control of Kremlin-backed separatists

Ukraine on Tuesday signed much-anticipated accords with separatists from the country's east, Russia and European monitors that agree a local election can be held in separatist-controlled territory, paving the way for peace talks with Moscow.

The signing at a meeting in the Belarusian capital Minsk was largely seen as the new Ukrainian government taking a major step toward a resolution of the prolonged armed conflict in eastern Ukraine that has killed more than 13,000 people and displaced more than 1 million since 2014.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said at a briefing in Kiev that the country agreed to a snap local election in the east, which has been controlled by the Russia-backed separatists since April 2014. He sought to dispel fears about excessive concessions to the separatists, saying the election would be held only when Ukraine regains control of all its borders with Russia.

"There won't be any elections under the barrel of a gun," Zelenskiy said in response to criticism that his administration bowed to Russia's demands. "There won't be any elections there if the troops are still there."

Read more ....

WNU Editor: This is big news, and the first step among many to end the war.

More News On Ukraine Reaching an Agreement With Separatists In The East On Local Elections

Ukraine agrees to election in separatist-controlled east -- AP
Ukraine agrees to local elections in separatist eastern region -- The Hill
Ukraine Peace Talks Get Breakthrough as Kyiv Accepts Compromise -- Bloomberg