Ukraine will adhere to Minsk agreements, remains committed to peaceful end to Donbas conflict – Poroshenko

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has reiterated that Ukraine will adhere to its obligations under the Minsk agreements.

"We have shown the world the true face of our nation, one that fights for European values and defends European security on its frontiers. We have been adhering to the obligations of the Minsk agreements, and we will keep standing for a peaceful resolution in Donbas," Poroshenko said in his article "We're Making Steady Progress in Ukraine, Despite Putin" written for The Wall Street Journal, which was posted on June 10.

He noted that now Ukraine wants to focus on building the country as a free, democratic and economically developed country, with its territorial integrity restored.

"But we will need the support of the international community to help defend against our aggressor. Just last week, rebels backed by Russian troops attacked Ukrainian positions in the city of Maryinka with tanks and other heavy weaponry in brutal violation of the Minsk agreements," Poroshenko noted.

Poroshenko said that the Ukrainian military has grown and now consists of 250,000 servicemen. He also wrote about reforming law-enforcement agencies, saying that a pilot program will be launched in July, similar to a previous project in Georgia.

"Before the revolution, we were almost fully dependent on gas imports from Russia. Today, by the diversification of supplies, we have reduced the consumption of Russian gas to 19.9 billion cubic meters from 28.1 billion cubic meters since 2014 and the Russian share of our gas imports to 37% from 90%. We have adopted legislation that establishes transparent rules on the industry," the President said.

He also talked about the steps taken to combat corruption in Ukraine, as well as the formation of a team of reformers in the government.

"I suspect that in terms of efficiency our team would meet the standard of any European government. And with an average age of just 44, we have possibly the youngest government Europe has ever seen," Poroshenko said.

According to him, Ukraine has increased the efficiency of the state apparatus and is projected to cut expenses by around $50 million in 2015. Realizing the importance of a transparent and fair judiciary, Ukraine is working toward limiting immunity for judges, and considering the dismissal of 300 judges. Legislation has now been passed to set new rules for judicial nominations.

"The latest International Monetary Fund mission to Ukraine has recognized our efforts. The IMF stated that we have achieved “good implementation” of our agreed-to reform program. There are signs now of economic stabilization, and the IMF expects our gross domestic product to grow by 2% and the unemployment rate to shrink by 0.5 percentage points in 2016," Poroshenko said.