by Stephen Lendman

Hollande, Merkel and Putin discussed ongoing conflict in Donbass by phone. On Saturday, a Kremlin press statement said:

“Angela Merkel and Francois Hollande informed (Putin) about the results of their recent meeting with the president of Ukraine in Berlin.”

“Vladimir Putin expressed concern about the continuing artillery bombardments of populated localities in Donbass by the Ukrainian military, the build-up of the Ukrainian Armed Forces along the line of demarcation.” “The three leaders emphasized the need to establish a direct dialogue between Kiev and representatives of Donetsk and Lugansk and of lifting the financial and economic blockade of Donbass.”

Media reports said the three leaders back a new ceasefire straightaway. A French statement said “(t)hey strongly supported calls for a full ceasefire on September 1 due to the start of the new school year.”

“They underscored the importance of continued ceasefire, citing the plight of civilians in eastern Ukraine.”

They called withdrawing heavy weapons from the contact line “an important step toward the implementation of Minsk” ceasefire terms.

Putin blamed Kiev for ongoing conflict. His web site said he “expressed concern over the continuing shelling by Ukrainian security forces of urban areas in Donbass and the build-up of Ukraine’s military forces along the demarcation line.”

“He stressed the need to establish direct dialogue between Kiev and representatives of Donetsk and Lugansk and to lift the financial and economic siege of Donbass. The Russian President said that there is no alternative to a political settlement of the conflict on the basis of full implementation of the Minsk agreements, stressing the importance of holding a constitutional reform in Ukraine that would be coordinated with Donetsk and Lugansk.”

Putin means what he says. He’s gone all-out to resolve ongoing conflict since Kiev launched naked aggression last year. Merkel and Hollande are allied with Washington’s imperial agenda, its endless wars of aggression.

Previous articles pronounced Minsk dead - impossible to achieve ceasefire as long as Obama and Poroshenko want war. Nothing indicates otherwise. Kiev mobilized around 90,000 heavily armed forces in Southeastern Ukraine.

They’re deployed for escalated war, proceeding with multiple daily attacks - perhaps continuing endlessly as long as Washington rejects peace.

It wants Ukraine used as a dagger targeting Russia’s heartland - along with growing numbers of US and other NATO troops in Eastern Europe close to its borders.

US plans call for establishing a military cordon sanitaire - aiming to marginalize, weaken, and isolate Russia from Europe. US provocations head things perilously closer to direct confrontation. All bets are off if lunatics in Washington launch it.

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Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago and can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.

His new book as editor and contributor is titled "Flashpoint in Ukraine: How the US Drive for Hegemony Risks World War III".

http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanIII.html

Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.

Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.

It airs three times weekly: live on Sundays at 1PM Central time plus two prerecorded archived programs

Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.

Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.

It airs three times weekly: live on Sundays at 1PM Central time plus two prerecorded archived programs.