KIEV (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 23rd August, 2018) Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko on Thursday said he was sorry for the promise he gave to Ukrainians back in 2014 that the military operation in the country's embattled Donbas region would be finished within a matter of hours.
Kiev's offensive against Donbas, whose residents refused to recognize the newly formed government at the time, started in April 2014. The conflict, which has claimed over 10,000 lives according to UN figures, is still ongoing.
"Over four years ago, I said that the [operation in Donbas] would last hours, not months � People interpreted it as a possibility that the war would end very, very soon. I am sorry for causing unrealistic expectations � And I beg your forgiveness for this," Poroshenko said during his speech in the Ukrainian city of Dnipro dedicated to the Day of the National Flag.
Poroshenko noted that he had learned "a lesson on how to be accurate and serious with words and promises" from this situation.
Efforts to stabilize the situation in eastern Ukraine have been made by the Normandy Four group comprising Russia, Ukraine, France, and Germany.
In particular, the Normandy Four brokered the Minsk peace accords, which were signed by the sides to the conflict in a bid to end hostilities in the area. However, the warring parties have failed to observe the ceasefire, so the unrest in Donbas continues.
