Berlin-Paris plan last chance for Ukraine peace: Hollande

French President Francois Hollande says a peace initiative recently put forward by France and Germany is “one of the last chances” to end hostilities between the Kiev government and pro-Russia forces operating in eastern Ukraine.

In an exclusive interview with French public national television channel France 2 on Saturday, Hollande stated that the Berlin-Paris proposal includes the creation of a 50- to 70-kilometer (31- to 43-mile) demilitarized zone around the current battle lines as well as greater autonomy for Ukraine’s restive eastern region.

The French strongman added that the stakes could not be higher, warning that the renewed peace plan was “one of the last chances” to put an end to the 10-month-old conflict in eastern Ukraine.

“If we fail to find a lasting peace agreement, we know the scenario perfectly well -- it has a name, it is called war,” Hollande said.

Hollande and German Chancellor Angela Merkel are set to discuss the peace plan with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Sunday.

The peace plan is viewed as an attempt to revive the failed truce agreement signed between the Kiev government and pro-Moscow forces in the Belarusian capital, Minsk, last September.

Kiev government’s opposition 

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko, however, objected to the demilitarized zone idea, saying, “There is only one line, and that’s the line from the Minsk agreement.”

Poroshenko told the 51st Munich Security Conference in Germany that his government stands ready for a “comprehensive and immediate ceasefire” and Russia should be too.

He added that he wanted no peacekeepers in eastern Ukraine, saying they would not be needed if fighting in eastern Ukraine subsided and the Ukraine-Russia border was sealed.

Uncertainty over Ukraine peace bid

Meanwhile, German Chancellor Angela Merkel also said it was “uncertain” whether the proposed peace initiative would lead to success, adding, however, that the plan “is definitely worth trying.”

Germany’s Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier stated that the fate of the join European push would be known in “two or three days.”

Putin: Russia not seeking war

Russian President Vladimir Putin, meanwhile, stated that Moscow is not at war and does not want war with anyone, lambasting Western sanctions imposed on Russia over Ukraine crisis.

“There’s no war, thank God. But there is definitely an attempt to curb our development,” Putin said.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said he believed the new peace plan could help end the conflict, blaming Washington and the European Union for further escalation of the Ukrainian conflict.

Ukraine turmoil

The two mainly Russian-speaking regions of Donetsk and Luhansk in eastern Ukraine have been the scene of deadly clashes between pro-Russia forces and the Ukrainian army since Kiev launched military operations to silence protests there in mid-April 2014.

Violence intensified in May last year after the two flashpoint regions held local referendums in which their residents voted overwhelmingly in favor of independence from Ukraine and joining the Russian Federation.

The fighting has left over 5,300 people dead and more than 12,200 wounded, according to the UN.

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