By Richard Balmforth and Thomas Grove KIEV (Reuters) - Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said on Tuesday government forces would renew offensive operations against rebels and "free our lands", hours after a ceasefire to allow for peace talks with the pro-Russian separatists had expired. Poroshenko, who accuses Russia of fanning violence in eastern Ukraine, dismissed Moscow's offers to defuse the crisis, and accused the rebels of failing to keep to the truce or follow a peace plan he had outlined. The decision not to continue the ceasefire is our answer to terrorists, militants and marauders," he said in a televised statement delivered in front of the blue-and-yellow Ukrainian flag. In a statement on his Facebook page, the 48-year-old leader said: "Taking into account all the circumstances, I can affirm that things will be difficult, but we must be united, because we are fighting to free our land from dirt and parasites." The announcement came after a four-way phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin and German and French leaders aimed at helping end the crisis in the Russian-speaking east where government forces have been battling rebels since April.
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July 1st, 2014
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