Ukraine warns of martial law if fresh peace efforts fail

International leaders will gather next month for talks on Ukraine’s conflict, the country’s president has said, declaring that he wants to end a separatist insurgency peacefully but will impose martial law “immediately” if rebels relaunch hostilities.

Petro Poroshenko announced plans to meet the leaders of Russia, Germany and France in the Kazakh capital Astana on January 15th, for the first summit of its kind on Ukraine since June.

“The main task is . . . to turn the fragile ceasefire that exists in the east today, into a solid, reliable and long-lasting peace. And to bring the temporarily-occupied territories back under the Ukrainian authorities,” Mr Poroshenko told a news conference in Kiev.

A ceasefire plan and framework for a peace deal were agreed in Minsk, Belarus, on September 5th.

http://www.irishtimes.com/news/world/europe/ukraine-warns-of-martial-law-if-fresh-peace-efforts-fail-1.2050702