Transcript of Poroschenko press conference on current situation

@myroslavapetsa gives a translation and summary of some explanation that Poroschenko gave on the current situation (after 2nd Minsk meeting and 2nd cease-fire, which practically means Ukraine ceased and Russia still fires)

Journalists are giving #Poroshenko a hard time. Tough questions, high words. President seems to be prepared for this hard talk.
— Myroslava Petsa (@myroslavapetsa) September 21, 2014

#Poroshenko: Events in #Donbass proved we can defend ourselves and #Crimea scenario won't be repeated
— Myroslava Petsa (@myroslavapetsa) September 21, 2014

Eum... the difference is that now Ukraine lost a similar piece of territory as with Crimea but with some 2000 soldiers having died? And right now the Russian forces (disguised as separatists) still take more and more every day.

Poroshenko: Ukrainian forces lost 65% of vehicles on frontline pic.twitter.com/xBNyqElphV via @Dbnmjr http://t.co/S7LQ3ZirHG
— Liveuamap (@Liveuamap) September 21, 2014

To specify this: 65% of vehicles sent to the front line. Not 65% of all Ukrainian vehicles.

#Poroshenko: Why did our soldiers die [in #Donbass]? So that #Ukraine is kept there.
— Myroslava Petsa (@myroslavapetsa) September 21, 2014

Currently Donbass is already lost to Russia.

#Poroshenko: Did I expect #Russia would openly invade us? No. Were we ready for that? The war will teach us.
— Myroslava Petsa (@myroslavapetsa) September 21, 2014

Russia would not invade? That is SOOOOO naive that it is hard to believe he actually said that!!!
No Ukraine was not ready for that. Russia attacked when the Ukrainian army was trying to surround and cut off everything, therefore being exposed and vulnerable themselves. With the Russian invasion they got surrounded and mercilessly slaughtered. It was the end of ATO.

#Poroshenko: I was stunned how many soldiers on the front line supported my peace initiative. And I value their support the most.
— Myroslava Petsa (@myroslavapetsa) September 21, 2014

Yes, after senselessly being slaughtered like this and after having been shelled with Russian GRADs and artillery for weeks from Russian territory...

#Poroshenko: We [#Poroshenko and #Putin] have had phone talks, met in #Minsk. Without that we wouldn't have a peace process,world's support
— Myroslava Petsa (@myroslavapetsa) September 21, 2014

What did you talk about? Did Putin threaten to use nuclear weapons? Did he blackmail you? Did he threaten you to kill your business and fortune? It was not a talk between friends or equals.

#Poroshenko: The first thing I was expected by some to do as the president was to impose martial law. To send hundreds of thousands to war
— Myroslava Petsa (@myroslavapetsa) September 21, 2014

If only you would have armed the volunteer battalions properly and not have them given stupid orders without any support so they could get easily ambushed and die for nothing.

#Poroshenko comments on #Ilovaysk tragedy: Loosening the entrenchments, 3-day delay in arrival of reinforcement
— Myroslava Petsa (@myroslavapetsa) September 21, 2014

There were no reinforcements and the little reinforcements that arrived where symbolic. They were sent as a spearhead and then abandoned. They had to stand for a VERY long time until they realized nobody came for assistance. By then it was already too late.

#Poroshenko: I decided preterm parliament elections should be held when I saw only 228 MPs supported bill recognizing DNR,LNR as terror orgs
— Myroslava Petsa (@myroslavapetsa) September 21, 2014

#Poroshenko: It's impossible to retake #Donetsk and #Luhansk by warfare only
— Myroslava Petsa (@myroslavapetsa) September 21, 2014

Incredibly naive again. The real question at the moment is not whether Ukraine will be able to retake Donetsk and Lugansk, but how much more Ukraine will be able to keep or loose! Debaltseve will probably be abandoned in the next days and Mariupol might be the next city to fall.
Even though Ukraine tries to keep the ceasefire, the Russian forces (disguised as separatists) are shelling Ukrainian positions EVERY DAY. When the Ukrainians retreat from such positions after there is nothing more than ruins left, the Russians quietly advance. This happened to Lugansk airport. It will happen to Donetsk airport too.

Poroshenko: "Ukraine must be ready to defend itself if peace deal fails." Seriously? http://t.co/USJQE1Kd3h via @HCMess
— Ukraine@war (@djp3tros) September 21, 2014

After what we read here above, Ukraine is NOT READY AT ALL. And the question is not IF the peace deal will fail, but when Poroshenko and the Western partners realize it failed from the start, because this is only to buy the Russian forces time and opportunity.


What the Ukrainian army needs most at the moment is a sophisticated answer to GRAD and artillery shelling: within two minutes of the start of such an attack the positions from which such shelling comes should be heavily counterattacked and destroyed. There are weapon systems in the world capable of doing this... The West should supply those.
See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Counter_Rocket,_Artillery,_and_Mortar for instance.