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Germany seeks mandate for Ukraine peacekeepers by March

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Kiev: Germany’s foreign minister said he wanted to establish a mandate for an armed UN peacekeeping mission in eastern Ukraine before Russia’s March presidential election.


Sigmar Gabriel told reporters on Wednesday after talks in Kiev with Ukrainian counterpart Pavlo Klimkin that such a force was “essential” for ensuring the territorial integrity of the war-scarred former Soviet state.


“This has to be a strong armed mission that is present across the entire territory of the conflict zone,” Gabriel said in comments translated into Ukrainian. Russia denies playing any role in the conflict that has killed more than 10,000 people and plunged Moscow’s relations with the West to a post-Cold War low since breaking out in April 2014.


Gabriel’s visit came with Moscow’s ire peaking over Washington’s decision to greenlight the supply to Ukraine of powerful US anti-tank missiles for the first time. Klimkin said the weapons would only be used for defensive purposes and not spark a new escalation in the war. “These weapons can and will be used in case of a provocation by Russia,” said Klimkin. — AFP


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