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Ukrainian President Poroshenko Asks for U.N. Peacekeepers to Enforce Truce

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Ukrainian soldiers from a unit based in Zaporizhia repair the bullet-shattered windshield of a truck after taking fire during their withdrawal from Debaltseve the previous day on Feb. 19, 2015 in Artemivsk.
Ukrainian soldiers from a unit based in Zaporizhia repair the bullet-shattered windshield of a truck after taking fire during their withdrawal from Debaltseve the previous day on Feb. 19, 2015 in Artemivsk.Brendan Hoffman—Getty Images
By Rishi Iyengar

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko called for the U.N. to intervene in his country’s escalating internal crisis on Wednesday, asking for peacekeeping forces to be deployed to enforce a cease-fire he claims is being violated by pro-Russian rebels.

Poroshenko said the peacekeepers would help maintain security “in a situation where the promise of peace is not being kept,” the BBC reports.

The president’s request, which came soon after the withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from the strategic eastern transport hub of Debaltseve, got the approval of Ukraine’s national security and defense council at an emergency meeting Wednesday night.

More than 2,000 government troops retreated from Debaltseve on Wednesday, and reports said about 22 soldiers had been killed in combat over the past three days. Rebel leaders had insisted the cease-fire, brokered by Russian President Vladimir Putin and the leaders of France and Germany in Minsk last week, did not apply to the town since they had already taken control of it before the agreement.

[BBC]

Scenes From Eastern Ukraine Show Cease-Fire in Shreds

Pro-Russian rebels fire artillery grad rockets towards Debaltseve on Feb. 18, 2015, near Vuglegirsk.
Pro-Russian rebels fire artillery grad rockets towards Debaltseve on Feb. 18, 2015, near Vuglegirsk.Pierre Crom—Getty Images
Bodies of Ukrainian soldiers killed in Debaltseve are pictured on stretchers at a military camp in Artemivsk, Feb. 18, 2015.
Bodies of Ukrainian soldiers killed in Debaltseve are pictured on stretchers at a military camp in Artemivsk, Feb. 18, 2015. Oleksandr Klymenko—Reuters
Ukrainian soldiers rest near Artemivsk after leaving Debaltseve in the Donetsk region on Feb. 18, 2015.
Ukrainian soldiers rest near Artemivsk after leaving Debaltseve in the Donetsk region on Feb. 18, 2015. Anatolii Stepanov—AFP/Getty Images
A building lies in ruins from being hit by a shell on Feb. 17, 2015 in Mironovka, near Debaltseve.
A building lies in ruins from being hit by a shell on Feb. 17, 2015 in Mironovka, near Debaltseve.Brendan Hoffman—Getty Images
People cook lunch over a fire outside the local House of Culture, which serves as a distribution point for humanitarian aid and provides a bomb shelter, on Feb. 17, 2015 in Myronivskyi.
People cook lunch over a fire outside the local House of Culture, which serves as a distribution point for humanitarian aid and provides a bomb shelter, on Feb. 17, 2015 in Mironovka.Brendan Hoffman—Getty Images
Yulia Novomlynets, 18, waits in a line to receive the humanitarian aid in the local House of Culture, which is used as a bomb shelter in Mironovka village, near Debaltseve of Donetsk area, Feb. 17, 2015.
Yulia Novomlynets, 18, waits in a line to receive the humanitarian aid in the local House of Culture, which is used as a bomb shelter in Mironovka village, Feb. 17, 2015. Anastasia Vlasova—EPA
A woman inside the local House of Culture, which serves as a distribution point for humanitarian aid and provides a bomb shelter, on Feb. 17, 2015 in Mironovka.
A woman inside the local House of Culture, which serves as a distribution point for humanitarian aid and provides a bomb shelter, on Feb. 17, 2015 in Mironovka.Brendan Hoffman—Getty Images
A child plays cards in the local House of Culture which is used as a bomb shelter in Mironovka village, Feb. 17, 2015.
A child plays cards in the local House of Culture which is used as a bomb shelter in Mironovka village, Feb. 17, 2015. Anastasia Vlasova—EPA

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Write to Rishi Iyengar at rishi.iyengar@timeasia.com