Ukrainian President Poroshenko wants Russian-Ukrainian border closed

President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko appealed to the Russian administration with a requirement to close the Russian-Ukrainian border. According to Poroshenko, such a move will establish peace in the region quickly. 

"Please, withdraw your troops from my territory," he said, addressing to Russia at the press conference in Australia. 

According to the Kommersant, Poroshenko continued: "Please, close the border. And I promise that if you close the border, then within one, two or three weeks, peace and stability in Ukraine will restore. It's very simple," Poroshenko said. "I want to make it clear that Ukraine is waging this war not only for independence and territorial integrity. We are waging the war for freedom, democracy and peace,"  Interfax quoted the Ukrainian president as saying. 

Kiev regularly blames Russia for the conflict, accusing it of the deployment of weapons and military hardware to the territory of Donbass. Kiev officials also claim that Russia sends its soldiers to the troubled region. Moscow strongly denies such accusations. On Wednesday, Chief of the Russian General Staff, Valery Gerasimov, said that the allegations about Russian troops involved in the conflict in eastern Ukraine were "primitive fakes."

In the coming days, it is planned to hold another round of talks in Minsk for the settlement of the Ukrainian conflict. The meeting that may discuss the exchange of prisoners is likely to be held on December 12.