Ukraine army, pro-Russia forces start withdrawing from east

The Ukrainian army and pro-Russian forces have started withdrawing from an important front line area in the country’s volatile east as part of a deal to end their long-running conflict in the region.

The process of troop withdrawal began by both sides in the area of Zolote-4 in the Lugansk region Tuesday, Ukraine's army said on Facebook.

Monitors from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) confirmed the move.

The withdrawal is a precondition for the first meeting in years between Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky in an effort to revive a stalled peace process for the region.

Back in September, Zelensky said his government had prepared a roadmap with clear deadlines to be discussed with the leaders of Russia, Germany and France for implementing a peace deal in eastern Ukraine.

He hoped the new roadmap would be discussed at a meeting in the so-called Normandy format “in the nearest future.”

"I think that we did a lot to bring about the Normandy (summit)," Zelensky told the Interfax-Ukraine news agency, referring to the name given to the internationally-mediated talks.

Since taking office in May, Zelensky has started exploring the possibility of talks with his Russian counterpart to resolve the conflict.

However, his efforts for new talks with Russia and his peace plan including the troop pullback have been strongly criticized by many in Kiev, especially war veterans and nationalists.

In early October, thousands of nationalists took to the streets in Kiev, to protest the government peace plan that would grant broader autonomy to self-proclaimed, pro-Russia territories in the country’s east.

The protesters claimed that agreeing to give broader autonomy to the regions in eastern Ukraine would mean surrendering the country’s interests.

SS