Ukrainian president pleads for Russia to withdraw troops

MELBOURNE, Dec. 11 (UPI) -- Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko publicly appealed to Russia to remove its troops from Ukraine on Thursday, after a Russian general admitted a small contingent of soldiers was in the country.

In Australia, where he is meeting with Prime Minister Tony Abbott on economic issues, Poroshenko, directing his comments to Russia, told a news conference, "Please stop the fire. Please release the hostages. Please withdraw your troops from my territory. Please close the border, and I promise if you close the border, within one, two, three weeks, we have peace and stability in Ukraine. Very simple."

Ukraine has accused Russia of sending troops and equipment to eastern Ukraine to help pro-Russian separatists, an assessment seconded by NATO. Poroshenko's comments came after a "Day of Silence" in eastern Ukraine on Tuesday, a truce regarded as a success with a decrease in cross-border artillery fire, despite sporadic gunfire.

Gen. Valery Gerasimov, chief of the general staff of the Russian Armed Forces, said a small military mission was sent to the Ukrainian town of Debaltseve, near the separatist stronghold of Donetsk, to help find "a compromise decision on de-escalating tensions and withdrawing troops from the line of contact."

"I will say it openly: The process is not easy. If it were not for constant external meddling by the representatives of many European countries, NATO members and the United States, the problematic issues would be solved much more quickly," Gerasimov said. Similar comments were made last week by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.