Ukraine's President Proposes a Peace Plan

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko announced June 18 that he is planning to order a brief, unilateral cease-fire in eastern Ukraine. His statement came a day after a phone conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin, but separatist and Russian leaders still criticized it. Officials from the self-declared Donetsk People's Republic rejected the peace plan outright, while Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov complained that the cease-fire would not be permanent. Poroshenko will likely be able to implement some parts of his peace plan, but it will not stem the tide of armed separatist activity in eastern Ukraine.

Poroshenko's plan will be set against the backdrop of ongoing negotiations between Ukraine, Russia and the European Union over Ukraine's future. These talks will take time, and as the negotiations continue, Russia will support armed groups and low-level instability in Ukraine's east to preserve its influence in Kiev.