Ukraine: Prospects for peace

The Heat

After months of ongoing tension and violence between government troops and Moscow-backed separatists in Ukraine, the future of the divided nation is uncertain. CCTV’s Anand Naidoo gets insight from both the Ukrainian and Russian perspectives to further explore this issue.

Ukrainian president Petro Poroshenko announced a peace plan and week-long ceasefire for the divided nation last Friday.

The repeatedly interrupted ceasefire is scheduled to end Friday, the same day that Ukraine plans to sign a free trade agreement with the European Union. The E.U., along with the United States, is considering placing further sanctions on Russia if they do not make more efforts to restore peace with Ukraine.

Russian president Vladimir Putin’s response to the peace plan seemed positive after he renounced the right to send troops to Ukraine on Wednesday, but the U.S. and the E.U. say that this move is not enough to perpetuate peace in the region.

Still, among the uncertainties there remains hope that Ukraine can peacefully resolve the conflict playing out in the eastern part of the country. CCTV’s Stephanie Fried has the latest details from Kiev.

In an effort to assist Ukraine in this ongoing struggle, NATO has recently endorsed measures to bolster Ukraine’s military.

Ihor Dolhov, Ukraine’s ambassador to NATO, joined Anand Naidoo from Brussels to discuss the ongoing crisis in Ukraine along with the struggle for a peaceful resolution. Despite strong NATO support, Dolhov says that Ukraine needs “more actions and not declarations,” from the Russian side.

On Wednesday, Poroshenko promised at Putin’s request to propose constitutional amendments protecting Russian speakers in eastern Ukraine.

Alexander Nekrassov, former adviser to the Kremlin, joined Anand Naidoo from London to explore what could be next with the ongoing tensions between Ukraine and Russia.