KIEV
Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has submitted a draft resolution to the Ukrainian parliament on Monday asking the UN to send a peacekeeping force to country’s troubled east.
The move comes after Poroshenko on Feb. 19 asked the UN to send troops to control fighting in the eastern region of the country.
Today’s draft resolution is expected to be discussed in parliament on Tuesday.
Poroshenko earlier said that a European police mission could maintain a cease-fire, agreed on Feb. 12. The agreed cessation has not put a stop to fighting in key areas of the region.
The president added that, if that an EU option was not possible, an UN-backed force would be a good solution.
Any UN Security Council mandate would be subject to a possible Russian veto, but there has not been a response from UN officials yet. It is unlikely, observers say, that Russia would accept a European police mission as EU nations have strongly opposed Russia's actions in Ukraine.
Pro-Russian separatists who control large areas in eastern Ukraine would also be unlikely to accept any initiative from the European Union.
Poroshenko’s comments come after Ukrainian troops withdrew from the strategic city of Debaltseve after intense fighting.
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