KIEV, Ukraine — U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry told Ukraine’s President Petro Poroshenko on Friday that Washington was hoping to see a ceasefire in eastern Ukraine “soon,” but that the Minsk agreements were the only way to solve the conflict.

Speaking at a joint news conference with Poroshenko, Kerry said he was “absolutely convinced” that Moscow had invested heavily in the conflict and that Russia’s actions were aimed at destabilizing Ukraine.

“Russia has

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The Ukrainian Army has been fighting Russia-backed separatists in the country’s eastern regions since April 2014.

In a recent interview, Ukrainian president Petro Poroshenko said the war in Eastern Ukraine has deepened because of Russia’s “aggression”.

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More about the author:

Dr. Taras Kuzio is a Senior Fellow at the Canadian Institute of Ukrainian Studies, University of Alberta and co-founder of the Kyiv-based think tank Penta Center for Policy Studies. He is also a Non-Resident Fellow at the Center for Transatlantic Relations, SAIS-Johns Hopkins University, Washington DC, and an Associate Fellow at the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI), London.

Dr. K

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Spokesperson for the President of Ukraine on issues related to ATO

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