Ukraine’s President made a surprise trip on Monday to a key city in southeastern Ukraine as a ceasefire between Russian-backed rebels and Ukrainian troops appeared to be largely holding.
President Petro Poroshenko addressed workers at a large metal plant in the embattled coastal city of Mariupol — a symbolic show of strength in a strategic government-held area that has come under rebel fire in recent days.
His appearance underscored that Kiev is unlikely to willingly loosen what remains of its grip over the rebellious east.
“This city was, is, and will be Ukrainian,” Mr. Poroshenko told hundreds of factory workers from a stage decorated with the blue and yellow colours of his country’s flag.
As Mr. Poroshenko addressed the crowd in hard hats, a shaky peace appeared to reign over much of east Ukraine. The city council of Donetsk said there had been no reported casualties overnight, and no shelling or explosions were heard in the morning in downtown Donetsk.
In Luhansk, another rebel-held eastern city that has seen some of the worst clashes, the city council said there was no fighting for the third night in a row.
Col. Andriy Lysenko, a spokesman for Ukraine’s National Security Council, said no serviceman had been killed in the past day, and rebel forces had stopped using heavy artillery and were only using mortar and rifle fire.
“That’s a big achievement,” he said. “We understand that the ceasefire imposes some discipline to our enemies and also allows our military to bring its reserves closer.”
But Col. Lysenko told reporters the rebels had violated the ceasefire half a dozen times. A Donetsk city council later on Monday said residents had called in about an explosion in the city.
