Putin revokes right of military intervention in Ukraine
MOSCOW: Russian President Vladimir Putin asked Parliament Tuesday to cancel a resolution sanctioning the use of military force in Ukraine, a move his Ukrainian counterpart heralded as a “practical step” toward bringing peace to a region roiled by a separatist insurgency.
Putin’s announcement comes after pro-Russia rebels in eastern Ukraine said Monday they would respect a cease-fire declared by Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko, raising hopes for an end to months of fighting that have killed hundreds and driven thousands from their homes.
Poroshenko called it “the first practical step taken by the Russian president in the wake of his decision to officially support Ukraine’s settlement plan for the (eastern) Donbass region.” A statement on the Kremlin website announced that Putin had asked the head of Russia’s upper house of parliament to cancel his March 1 request authorizing the use of force on Ukrainian territory.
Russian parliament member Valery Shnyakin said the house would vote Wednesday on the issue, according to RIA Novosti.
Russian markets, which have been rattled by the crisis in Ukraine and a host of sanctions by the US and the European Union against Russian officials and businessmen, soared 1.6 percent Tuesday after the news, reaching a four-month high. The Russian leader had made the request after Ukraine’s pro-Russian president was ousted in February following months of street protests. In March, Ukraine’s Black Sea region of Crimea was annexed by Russia after being seized by troops that Putin later acknowledged were Russian army forces.