PRESS RELEASE

---

Normandy Four Affirm Ceasefire, Then London Hosts Poroshenko To Speak Against Russia

April 18, 2017 (EIRNS)—The Normandy Four leaders—Russian President Vladimir Putin, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko, French President François Hollande, and German Chancellor Angela Merkel—spoke by phone yesterday.

"The Normandy Four leaders reaffirmed their commitment to the Minsk accords in the field of security and political aspects of peace settlement,"

the Kremlin reported.

"They welcomed the agreement on resumption of the Easter ceasefire that was reached on March 29 at a meeting of the Contact Group [for settling the conflict in Ukraine] and stressed the importance of its strict observance."

Immediately after the phone call, the Ukrainian presidential office reported that Poroshenko would be going to London on April 18-19 at the invitation of British Prime Minister Theresa May. On his schedule while in London is the delivery of a speech April 19, titled "Battle for Ukraine: Leadership and Solidarity Against Aggression," at the Royal Institute for International Affairs, also known as Chatham House. The RIIA advance notice condemns how,

"Ukraine’s territorial integrity has been compromised: the annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation, and its support for separatists in the east has caused turmoil and human losses."