'Not by Force Alone': Poroshenko Mulls New Options for Donbass Settlement

In a media interview on Tuesday Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said there was no chance the country’s eastern Donbass region could be taken away from the pro-independence militia by military force.

“I don’t think our territory can be liberated by military means alone,” Poroshenko told the BBC, noting that diplomacy was the only answer and that he had no option but to negotiate with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Russia denies Western accusations that it has sent regular troops and armor to help the pro-independence militia in eastern Ukraine.

President Poroshenko also said that, apart from efforts to end the conflict in eastern Ukraine, fighting corruption was another major priority for his administration.

Ukraine, which last year signed an association agreement with the EU, wants to become a full-fledged member of the European Union.

President Poroshenko hopes that implementation of his program of reforms will open the door for a formal application already in 2020.

However, Kiev still awaits a clear signal from Brussels  that such an application is actually welcome.

“I have a dream of someday becoming a member of the European parliament and of Ukraine joining the European Union, and I will be doing my best to make this happen,” Poroshenko said when asked about the goals he planned to achieve by the end of his presidential term.

Petro Poroshenko was elected president in 2014 for a period of five years.

According to UN figures, more than 6,000 people have been killed in eastern Ukraine since April 2014 when Kiev launched its so-called “anti-terrorist operation” against the local independence supporters in Donbass.