Monday, January 05, 2015

Did the Ukrainian President signal more fighting?

via Interfax.
Ukraine's President Petro Poroshenko has transferred more than 100 items of modernized military equipment, including armored vehicles, aircraft and weapon systems, to the country's army.
During the handover, which took place on Monday at a military range in Zhytomyr region, the president said that this was the third time in a month that the government has transferred armored vehicles, tanks, infantry fighting vehicle, howitzers, mortars, aircraft and other equipment to the military.
"I believe that 2015 will be a year of our victories and a year of peace. To achieve this we should have a strong, well-trained, and well-equipped patriotic Ukrainian army," Poroshenko said.
The president presented vouchers for 203-mm and 121-mm self-propelled howitzer complexes, 82-mm automatic grenade launchers, assault rifles "Fort", two MiG-29 and two Su-27 aircraft, and BMP-2 infantry fighting vehicle. "For the first time in many years, we hand over modernized aircraft to the Armed Forces of Ukraine," he said.
Poroshenko thanked employees of Zhytomyr Armored Plant, Kharkiv Automobile Repair Plant Shepetivka Repair Plant, and the Fort Research and Production Association for the repair and reconstruction of equipment.
That quote stood out to me.
"I believe that 2015 will be a year of our victories and a year of peace. To achieve this we should have a strong, well-trained, and well-equipped patriotic Ukrainian army,"
I'm not sure how careful his speech writers are but the need to emphasize victories as well as peace stood out for me.  It obviously stood out for the Interfax reporter as well.

Despite public statements by US and EU officials, it seems like the Ukrainian President is expecting continued fighting.