[WATCH] Poroshenko in Malta visit calls for ceasefire: ‘Mr Putin, please stop the war’

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko appeals for ceasefire

Ukrainian president Petro Poroshenko has appealed to Russian president Vladimir Putin for the removal of Russian troops from Ukrainian territory.

Poroshenko was speaking in Malta following bilateral talks with Maltese Prime Minister Joseph Muscat where he was asked about the current situation with Russia.

“Unfortunately, no progress has been made on a ceasefire and Ukrainian civilians are still being killed by Russian snipers and by Russian artillery,” said Poroshenko, adding that only two days ago were four Ukrainian civilians killed with others having been seriously wounded.

“The point of these negotiations is very simple,” said Poroshenko.

“Mr Putin, please stop the war. Make a ceasefire, withdraw heavy artillery and weapons, withdraw all your occupational troops from Ukrainian soil, and allow the special monitoring mission of the OSCE to effectively carry out their mission” said Poroshenko.

Both Muscat and Poroshenko were asked about the relationship between Ukraine and the EU following the 2014 treaty of association.

Poroshenko said the EU had offered support during “the Russian aggression” and had helped in the implementation of reforms.

“We have agreed with German chancellor Angela Merkel. We had a fruitful and effective discussion about the new reality,” said Poroshenko

He pointed to the introduction of the Russian rouble to occupied territory in the Ukraine, the confiscation of “Ukrainian property”, as well as other acts as being in violation of the Minsk agreement, resulting in a “deepening of the crisis”.

On his part, Muscat said the way in which the Poroshenko and his administration had tackled the process of “Europeanisation” was commendable.  

“It is commendable on the grounds that a huge number of reforms have been achieved over the past two years.”

Muscat stressed that the list of reforms was “quite impressive”, especially in light of the fact the nature of the reforms made them difficult to “implement and get voted through parliament”.

Moreover, he said that “doing all of this in the midst of what is practically a war, while also delivering economic growth [was] no mean feat”.

“Europe has shown that it stands by the Ukraine,” said Muscat. “Obviously, we need good relations with Russia too, but those relations must be built in an atmosphere of trust and mutual cooperation and respect. My sincere hope is that this can be achieved.”