Washington, DC. While not a lot can come of a 10 minute photo opportunity for Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko, in the hands of his propaganda handlers it do take on a life of its own.
Welcoming Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko in the Oval Office on Tuesday, US President Donald Trump said that it was “a great honor” for him to meet with his Ukrainian counterpart.
According to President Trump, Ukraine was “a place that we’ve all been very much involved in.” In turn, President Poroshenko said that his meeting with the US president was full-fledged and detailed.
“A full-fledged, detailed meeting with US President Donald Trump was held. We have received strong support from the US, support for the sovereignty, territorial integrity and independence of our state,” Poroshenko said.
He added that military cooperation between the two countries was emphasized separately. “We will discuss this in more detail with US Defense Secretary James Mattis, however the President gave clear instructions for us to expand our cooperation,” the Ukrainian leader added.
Poroshenko also stressed that he does not see the need to change the Minsk format on the settlement of the situation in the Donbas.
“It was announced that the US remains committed to the Minsk agreements. I am sure that we must demand from Russia full implementation of the Minsk agreements. This includes the security package that includes demands for the fire to be stopped, for Russian artillery, tanks and multiple rocket systems to be withdrawn, and for full access for a special monitoring mission (OSCE) to the territories provided, including the border. We discussed in detail the steps that will be taken now,” Poroshenko stressed.
Which is very interesting as it seems to fly completely in the opposite direction from Ukraine’s previously declared intent to declare martial law and end the “ATO” format of conflict management.