Ukraine Claims Thousands of Russian Troops Have Entered from Russia
Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has claimed that 9,000 Russian soldiers have crossed into Ukraine to provide support to separatists who wish to breakaway from the central government in Kiev.
Reuters reports that Poroshenko made the announcement at the Davos World Economic Forum. Russia has disputed this claim and asked Poroshenko for evidence, but NATO has said that they have seen an increase in Russian military equipment in Ukraine's east.
Poroshenko said the troops were part of a force that also contained tanks, artillery, and armored vehicles. He urged Russia to respect a Sept. agreement made in Belarus that called for a ceasefire and the exit of foreign fighters from Ukraine.
That ceasefire was never truly honored as fighting in locations such as Donetsk and Kharkiv never really stopped, despite both Russia and Ukraine agreeing to the ceasefire. Both countries are currently in the midst of talks to de-escalate and eventually end the conflict.
The fighting has claimed nearly 5,000 lives and left the Ukrainian economy on the verge of collapse. While in Davos with a who's who of the world elite, Poroshenko chose to seek financial assistance so Ukraine can keep up the fight against the separatists.
Poroshenko made a personal appeal to the head of the International Monetary Fund, Christine LaGarde, for money to help meet a $15 billion dollar budget shortfall. LaGarde said that she cannot approve the aid unilaterally, but will ask the IMF's board to approve the request. She also said that she supports the request and will lobby for its passage.
In 2014, The IMF agreed to provide Ukraine $17 billion in emergency aid. So far, Ukraine has only received around $9.2 billion, which is still far short of what is needed to keep the government operational in the long term.
