MOSCOW, December 12. /TASS/. As the ceasefire came in force in the southeast of Ukraine on December 9, the US Senate passed on Thursday “Ukraine Freedom Support Act of 2014,” which is the bill stipulating sanctions against Russia and military support of Ukraine. The document allows the US president to supply Kiev with military hardware and impose restrictions against large Russian companies, including Gazprom and Rosoboronexport. Russian experts said in an interview with TASS that the bill was provocative and was not providing for the peace settlement in Ukraine.
Friday’s statement made by Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko came as a disharmony to US lawmakers’ decision. “I have positive news,” Poroshenko said. “Today, for the first time in seven months, Ukraine registered a real ceasefire.” Moreover, the Ukrainian National Defense Council posted a report on its website on December 10 saying that the army suffered no casualties.
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