President Petro Poroshenko and Eastern Ukraine

Ukraine: This offers little consolation to Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko who, while under pressure at home over a steady loss of troops fighting pro-Moscow rebels in the east, has to keep in diplomatic step with the West whose political and financial help he needs, according to The Moscow Times. His feelings showed in Berlin on Wednesday when a German journalist suggested eastern Ukraine was relatively calm. "I'd like to contradict that because Ukraine is paying a very high price today for this pseudo-cease-fire," he retorted, noting 83 Ukrainian servicemen had died since a second peace deal was signed in the Belarussian capital of Minsk in February. "Ukraine is losing heroes every day but we continue to absolutely support the Minsk agreements," he told ZDF TV. Few people in Kiev believe Putin will lessen his support for the separatists in a conflict that has killed more than 6,100 people in just over a year. The United States and European Union are still backing the three-month-old cease-fire, despite a growing feeling that it is in its death throes, telling Putin that sanctions will remain if he does not honor his promises. He may simply be waiting till the EU decides in June on extending sanctions on Russia financial, defense and energy sectors before showing his hand. We still don't have a complete cease-fire," German Chancellor Angela Merkel said in Berlin alongside Poroshenko. Sickly From Birth While it has been sickly from birth, no one wants to administer the last rites on the cease-fire. "Based on the Minsk agreement from February, we have to note that we are not yet where we want to be. (news.financializer.com). As reported in the news.