petro poroshenko is about to take his oath of office in parliament. let's show you the latest picture from the ukrainian capitol kyiv. once poroshenko has been sworn in the leaders of his government will present themselves and the flag of the country will be hoisted. he will begin almost immediately of with the huge task of trying to stabilize eastern ukraine. >>> as we wait for the president elect to arrive, and take office, what are we comchg this- expecting in this ceremony. >> he will be sworn in in front of the rada, the ukrainian parliament. we might hear him make his speech of what his plans will be, coming hours, coming days. and he may make his way over to st. sofia square, where he will be meeting members of the armed forces where he will be recognized as commander in chief of the ukrainian are armed forces. because the ukrainians are at war. whether this is a battle as many in kyiv see it between ukraine and pro-russian forces or russian forces in the east of the country. so his immediate tip steps wille to tackle at a problem. that is real

. >> it's the first day in office for ukraine's president petro porashenko. during his swearing in ceremony he promised to end violence in ukraine and offered immunity from prosecution for some leaders. we have the latest from kiev. >> reporter: he may have the red carpet. petro porashenko has a mountain to climb if he's to save ukraine from conflict and economic ruin. at his inauguration the international community was there to show its support. for an elected leader at last in ukraine, after months of uncertainty. president petro porashenko promised to take the fight to the rebellion in the east, and russia, over crimea. >> translation: what comes with the sword dies by the sword. citizens of ukraine will never enjoy the beauty of peace unless we settle relations with russia. russia occupied crimea, which was, is, and will be ukranian soil. >> reporter: from europe he said this time there'll be no turning back. >> translation: what exactly do we have to do to live free and prosperous lives. all this is enshrined in the agreement on political association and

this is the parliament this invested presidential powers in petro porashenko. today, this is the parliament that stripped those powers from viktor yanukovych after the revolution. this is the parliament that president petro porashenko now wants dissolved, so that he can have new deputies to press forward with the reforms he says ukraine needs. these are the men he commands. a solution to the violence in the east may lie with russia. talks are expected. there's hope the diplomacy, but the country is virtually at war. the new commander in chief has to choose which path to tread. >>> fighting between the government and separate its in of the east has been on the rise. there's no science that is will end soon. >> reporter: people are divided over whether petro porashenko can create a change in the east. many people, for a long time, felt alienated by kiev. the donetsk people's republic says it's an independent country, and the chairman of the country is dismissing petro porashenko's offer to hold local elections in the region. >> they couldn't arrange president yam

and putin had a meeting with petro poroshenko. a meeting that putin's spokesman said, a positive step, a very humble one but it is positive. let's go to the u.s. military cemetery near omaha beach, the scene of d day's bloodiest battle. mike viqueria is there. mike it must have been a tremendously emotional day. let's talk about this meeting between president obama and president putin. we have seen video of them ton sidelines. how did this happen? we layered that president obama all but ignored putin at various times earlier in the day. >> there was one photo earlier in the day, family photos, one family that was very dysfunctional. it was evident obama and putin weren't paying attention to one another. it was seemingly intentional. a vine from the host french government, six or seven clip of, looped clip of video of president obama and vladimir putin and it really was they call it a pull-aside, standing up against the wall and starting a discussion obviously very informal, obviously no formal agenda there. this comes after weeks

petro poroshenko claims t to bring peace to the east. >> reporter: he may have the red carpet, but petro poroshenko has a mountain to climb if he's to save ukraine from conflict and economic ruin. at his inauguration the international community was there to show it's supposed. for elected leader after months of uncertainty. >> who comes with the sword dies by the sword. >> ukraine will never enjoy the beauty of peace unless we settle down relations with russia. russia occupies crimea which was, is, and will be ukrainian soil. on europe he said there will be no turning back. >> what exactly do we have to do to live free and prosperous lives. all this is ensigned on the agreement of free trade zones of the e.u. many of you and myself put together this document. now i aspire to make it a reality. >> president poroshenko pledged reform. >> reporter: this is the parliament that invested presidential powers in petro poroshenko today. this is the parliament that tripped those powers from viktor yanukovych after the revolution. this is the parliament that poroshenko now wants to dissolve so he c

petro poroshenko had -- with russia improve. petro poroshenko said that crimea will and always be ukrainian. he also vowed to mend ties with the kremlin and traumas to bridge the divide that has split his country in two. >> ukrainian soldiers put on a festive display for the country's new president, petro poroshenko. it does little to mask the setbacks they have experienced in eastern ukraine. poroshenko is looking to the future, as are many of his supporters. >> i think he will do his job well. it is clear what he has to do. stabilize ukraine and and the war. -- and end the war. >> yes plans and knows what he wants. >> he was sworn into office earlier in the day. foreign dignitaries were on hand to demonstrate their solidarity with kiev. the guests included the european council president and u.s. vice president joe biden. the president of germany was there, but russia sent its acting ambassador to the ceremony. with his hands resting on the ukrainian constitution and the bible, poroshenko took the oath of office. he stressed th

this is the parliament that invested presidential powers in petro porashenko today.oday this is the parliament that stripped those powers from viktor yanukovych after the rev lurks and this is the parliament that petro porashenko wants resolved so he can have new deputies to press forward with the reforms ukraine needs. nears the men he commands. a -- these are the men he commands. a solution to the violence may lie with russia. talks are expected. this country is virtually at war - there's hope for diplomacy. they need to choose which path to tread. >>> vice president joe biden was at the swearing in ceremony along with others. he promised millions in aid to ukraine and neighbouring countries. petero poroshenko was elected on the 25th. there was no sign the resistance will end soon. kim vinnell reports from donetsk. >> reporter: people here are divided over whether petero poroshenko can create a change in the east. many for a long time felt alienated by kiev. the donetsk people's republic has dismissed petero poroshenko said offer to hold local elections. >>. >> tra

petro porashenko says a new plan for peace will be presented to e.u. foreign minterses, and the former government abandoned a trade deal in november stating mass protests, leading to the overthrow of viktor yanukovych. >>> let's go to the top story - u.s. sending 300 - what it calls - special advisors, possibly special forces to iraq. let's go to james in london, director of the diplomacy platform. it's middle east security analyst based at kings clem. robin, are we getting mixed messages from washington. president obama is saying that there's no military solution. why get involved, basically. he's saying that they are ready to use targeted and precise action, but president obama said he need to ask hard questions before taking action abroad. bit confused. >> well, i think obama has been patience about his response to the i.s.i.s. crisis. there's no military solution. there's a military element to the response. clearly these 300 advisors will be well integrated with the iraqi security force, coordinating and strategising in terms of future airstrirks,

>> the cease-fire -- you had petro poroshenko -- you heard petro poroshenko say it would be quite short. it hasn't started yet. there is supposed to be in the crib -- be an official decree that starts the cease-fire. the president's press service couldn't tell me whether that would be this evening, tomorrow, even the next day. a lot of uncertainty. another question being asked was whether the cease-fire would cover just the military or the various different armed formations that have stp -- sprung up in recent weeks. now under theis command of the ukrainian interior ministry and would abide by the law and respect the president's decision, but he had no hesitation telling me that personally he didn't respect the decision at all and he didn't think it was a good strategy. i've had reports from another battalion that they are still considering whether they will the presidential line when the cease-fire is declared or not. >> also about the amnesty -- do you think the separatists are really going to take poroshenko up on that? >> none of the separatists that i've spoken to here have said th

-- this after the rebels said they would respect a piece deal approved by the ukrainian president petro poroshenko. ourill speak to correspondent in kiev. let's start by talking about today. announcement how is it going down where you are in kiev? >> it is to some extent encouraging. if his intent was to reassure ukrainians he has peaceful intent, that was not a success going at the reaction is overly skeptical. some were even saying ukrainians should prepare for a wider scale invasion. overall though, i think the broad belief here is this is simply an attempt by vladimir off possiblee sanctions from the u.s. and the ee you, possibly to pull the rug from underneath european -- from pull the runbly to from underneath european efforts for broader european reform, and certainly this does not leave without the tools necessary to escalate the situation in ukraine if he so wants to. the --the authorities of people's republic have implied the rule does not apply to them since they do not consider themselves to be ukrainian territory. some encouragement, but very much skepticism. >> all right,

in ukraine, petro poroshenko is sworn in as president. >> i was a bit of a novelty when i first showed up. >> plus one woman who is at the bell moment. >> the u.s. is promising aid to three former soviet states as the new president takes the help of ukraine. in kiev president obama promised funds to ukraine, moldova and georgia. >> he may have the red carpet, but petro poroshenko has a mountain to climb if he is to save ukraine from conflict and economic ruin. at his inauguration the international community was there to show its sport. support. president poroshenko promised to take the fight to the rebellion in the east and to russia and crimea. >> who comes with the sword will fall from the sword. >> citizens of ukraine will never enjoy the beauty of peace unless we settle down our relations with russia. russia occupies crimea which was, s and will be ukrainian as well. >> on europe they say this time there will be no turning back. >> what exactly do we have to do to live free lives, free and prosperous lives. all thi this is enshrined on the free trade zone with the european union. m

petro porashenko made clear that he's planning to do this. what whenninged is more people in ukraine now are united about the european course, about going to the west. petro porashenko is responding to popular opinion to sign the agreement which will include a free trade agreement. it will be a big boom. >> on wednesday, petro porashenko offered a unilateral ceasefire to the separatists after government forces took control. he replaced his foreign minister who used an obscenity to describe vladimir putin. he offered amnesty to the separatist. it seemed like good news. it didn't seem to have a result. things seemed to have gotten worse. all the parties had to participate. the russian military forces, military intelligence in eastern ukraine, they haven't been involved in negotiations. it's not a surprise that they rejected it. what they are calling on is the kremlin to save their bacon, if you will. to come in and use conventional force. it's something that the kremlin will have to think long and hard about. it triggers sectoral sanctions. >>

petro pou poroshenko. will i stop the fighting. hold back to the point of almost breaking through? we'll have to see. >>> yes, we will, david chater, thank you very much indeed. >>> now to afghanistan where the front run never that country's presidential run-off race has narrowly escaped death after on bomb attack on his can vo. three of his bodies guards were killed and another 16 people hurt. paul brennan has more. >> reporter: a busy schedule of campaign events was always going to present ample opportunities for bombers to strike. and on friday morning in kabul, that risk became a reality. there were two bomb blasts, though the exact circumstances remain unclear. police said the explosions were cal cause booed i two separate suicide bombers. other reports suggest that the second blast may have been a roadside device. either way, the result was deadly. >> translator: we suddenly heard a huge sound of an explosion when we were coming downstairs. the blast shattered the windows and stirred up the dust. we couldn't even see each oth

up rising. >> reporter: he may have the red carpet, but petro poroshenko has a mountain to climb if he is to save ukraine from conflict and economic ruin. at his inauguration the international community was there to show its support. for an elective leader the ukraine after months of uncertainty president poroshenko promised to take the fight to the rebellion in the east and to russia over crimea. >> who comes with a sword will fall with a sword. >> citizens of our crane will never enjoy the beauty of peace unless we settle down our relations with russia. russia occupies crimea which was, s and will be ukraine as well. >>> on europe he said this time there will be no turning back. >> what do we have to do to live free lives? free and prosperous lives. all this i this is in the agreement with the european union. >> many of you, along with myself, were part of putting the document together. now it is our job to make it a reality. >> reporter: president poroshenko placed economic reform, parliament try elections. this is the parliament with presidential powers in poroshenko today. this

petro poroshenko had been talking about declaring a cease-fire only once ukraine's border with russia had been secured. that has not happened. after the conversation with vladimir putin, i believe he also spoke to angela merkel. he seems to have decided that a temporary unilateral cease-fire is an option worth taking. he stressed it would be temporary. giving separatist fighters the chance to lay down their weapons and benefit from the amnesty as proposed. >> what kind of reaction has there been so far to this call for a cease-fire? quest i have been looking on social networks at what people are saying. those saying they are willing to lay down weapons are few and far in between. the main groups of separatists are greeting this with a deal of suspicion and asking a question -- does this cease-fire only affect the ukrainian military or does it also affect the pro-ukrainian italians -- b battalions who are not directly taking orders from kiev. and who are still active in this region. beyond that, there is not a great deal of trust in petro poroshenko among the separatists activistsro- m

petro poroshenko has been sworn in as ukraine's new president. we will talk to our correspondent in kiev about the hope ukrainians are putting in him. can diplomatic moves at the d-day celebrations bring russia back into the fold? for the germany national team over armenia. rice rice -- marco dropping out of the world cup team due to injury. >> picture poroshenko has been sworn in -- petro poroshenko has new sworn in as ukraine's president. ties witho mend russia, but would never bow to the annexation of crimea. >> ukrainians turned out in force to watch petrol persian petroake the oath -- poroshenko take the oath of office. foreign dignitaries were there to demonstrate their solidarity. the guests included the european council president and u.s. vice president joe biden. russia only sent its acting ambassador to kia for the -- kiev for the ceremony. with his hand resting on the ukrainian constitution, poroshenko took the oath of office. he stressed the need for a extended inne, and all of branch to pro-russian separatists. reset the russian lang

country staying with ukraine in the car was exploded in central kiev just as ukraine's new president petro poroshenko who's being sworn in scott is in the capital for. reports suggest that a car with eastern ukraine number plates exploded in exactly the same time that petro poroshenko was being sworn in as president now at this stage it's too early to tell what caused the explosion and if indeed it was connected to the president petro poroshenko being sworn in we just don't know if it's just an unfortunate coincidence at this stage that well ukraine's new president has been sworn in here in kiev in a ceremony attended by his western backus you know gratian in can have came despite an intense military crackdown in the east of the country in the eastern provinces that which boycotted the election having earlier proclaimed their independence well here's how pushing to address the issue in his inauguration speech. i do not want war and i'm not seeking revenge i call on everyone bearing on still lay them down and i guarantee immunity from criminal prosecution for those who do not have blood on

ukraine's president elect, petro poroshenko vowed at the time to punish those responsible. since then, it's been the focus of the fiercest fighting while kiev is labeled an antiterrorist operation. throughout friday, there were reports of a column of armored personnel carries and tanks advancing against the separatist positions in the town. this is the ukrainian army's checkpoint just on the perimeter. it came under attack from mortars fired from a church. one soldier was killed and two others were injured. it's usually crowded with families fleeing the area. western leaders may have been gathering on the beaches of normandy to commemorate d day but when you drive through the self-declared republics here in east ukraine, many road signs point you to the city of bolingrad. in world war ii, it was known as stalin debrad. the defeat was the turning point, many believe. many fighters believe they are fighting fascism once again. david chader, al jazeera, dondon. >> the formalities are over and petro poroshenko will focus on moving his country toward peace. in just a moment, we

vice president joe biden attending the swearing in of petro poroshenko in kiev where he promised $50 million to ukraine and even more funds to moldova and georgia. his message: america is with you. robin forestier walker has more. >> he may have the red carpet, but petro poroshenko has a mountain to climb if he is to save ukraine from conflict and comic ruin. ♪. >> at his inauguration, the international community was there to show support for an elected leader at last after months of uncertainty. president poroshenko promised to take the fight of the rebeb yon to. >> who comes with a sword will fall from the sword. citizens of ukraine will never enjoy the beauty of peace unless we settle down our relations with russia. russia occupied crimea which was, is, and will be a ukrainian soil. >> on europe, he said, this time there will be no turning back. >> translator: what exactly do we have to livefree lives, free and prosperous lives? all of this is in the agreement on political association and free trade zone with the european union. many of you, along with myself, were part of a team

eight hours after his detainment so of course this all happening on the day off the integration of petro poroshenko the president elect begs the question of exactly. where ukraine is heading and how it will solve the situation that is currently developing in the country. staying with ukraine in the car has exploded in central kiev that's just as ukraine's new president petro poroshenko was being sworn in for scotties in the capital for us reports suggest that a car with eastern ukraine number plates exploded in exactly the same time that petro poroshenko was being sworn in as president now at this stage it's too early to tell what caused the explosion and if indeed it was connected to the president petro poroshenko being sworn in we just don't know if it's just an unfortunate coincidence at this stage there is also reports of the other parts of central kiev where the explosion took place has been closed down well ukraine's new president has been sworn in here in kiev in a ceremony attended by his western backus you know gratian in kiev came despite an intense military crackdown in the ea

president of ukraine, petro poroshenko will be there as well.ll eyes will be on the two of them, seeing fha cans. -- if t hey shake hands. meeting is not just about ukraine. there was also a strong reaction from world leaders about the reelection of syria's bashar al-assad. >> inti. used it as a platform to denounce bashar al-assad. saying there was no future for him in syria and calling the election results a sham. 0 people have lost their lives in the last few years and 9.3 million people are in need of humanitarian aid. eu justicerg, affairs ministers are meeting to discuss similar topics. namely, the radicalization of europeans who travel to syria and come back trained killers. another topic being discussed today. you.ank reporting from brussels. the focus will come back to france as everybody gets ready for the 70th anniversary of the d-day celebration. there will be a lot of diplomacy on hand in paris tonight as the french president gets set to host two dinners. the first with barack obama and then a second with vladimir putin. olivia repo

today, p petro poroshenko struc a did he have find tone. vice president joe biden was there. he promised $60 million to ukraine in neighboring countries. tensions with the east are still high. today, an official in the self-declared republic of donetsk was shot dead. more from kiev. >> reporter: he may have the red carpet, but petro poroshenko has a mountain to climb if he is to save ukraine from conflict and economic ruin. at his inauguration, the international community was there to show sport. for an elected leader at last in ukraine after months of uncertainty. president poroshenko promised to take the fight to the east and to shane over scrim. >> who comes with a sword will fall from the sword. >> citizenship of ukraine will never enjoy the beauty of peace unless we settle down our relations with russia. russia occupy crimea which was, is, will be ukrainian as well. >> on europe, he said, this time, there will be no turning back. >> what exactly do we have to do to live free lives? free and prosperous lives? all of this is enshrined in the agreement on political associat

. >>> ukraine's president petro porashenko declared a day of mourning for dozens of troops killed when a military plane was shot down in the east. kim vinnell reports from the ukranian city of luhansk. >> reporter: pro-russian separatists claimed responsibility for an attack on a ukranian military transport jet. all 49 on board were killed. a spokesman says claims that information was leaked about the time and location of the plane's landing will be investigated. ukranian authorities making clear where they believe the weapons to shoot down the plane came from. >> translation: we are talking about russian weaponry, there are reports that weapons used by rebels have russian roots. i'll have evidence, pictures, approving that russians are using weapons on the territory. >> petro porashenko says those responsible will be brought to justice. today the ukranian army went on the counteroffensive for the first time and the armed forces started to drive the terrorists away. i gave the armed forces a priority, to bring under control the ukranian border through which the ukrainians are bringing

petro poroshenko says he is going to sign a key economic agreement with the eu. the pact has been at the heart of the conflict between russia and ukraine since last poroshenko told members of the european parliament that he wants to build a strong democracy that's respected among the european nations. he says he will sign the association agreement with the eu on friday. the pact centers on trade liberalization. it will paef the way for eu membership. russia is expected to protest the move. a cease-fire in eastern ukraine where fighting continues is set to ex peer friday. he says russia's support for ending the violence has been insufficient. he has called on moscow to use its influence over pro-russian separatists. russia should support his peace plan not just with words but with deeds. the iraqi prime minister is facing growing calls from his fellow shia muslims to step down. they say nuri al maliki's resignation is necessary to mend the divide in the conflict-hit nation. a powerful iraqi shia cleric called for a national unity government. he said the government

. >> tough fighting talk from newly elected president petro poroshenko. he said the rebels would have to lay down their arms. he did offer some form of amnesty without blood on their hands, but that he was prepared to take the most serious measures to end the fighting there. and in one aspect one area where he refused to make any compromises he said it would be over russia's annexation of ukraine. >> who comes with the sword will fall by the sword. citizens of ukraine will never enjoy the beauty of peace unless we settle down our relation with russia. russia occupying crimea as well. >> the newly inal inaugurateed president said ukraine will sign the u.n. trade agreement. this is something that will anger the russians. president vladimir putin has already stated stated signing that agreement with the e.u. would harm ukraine and harm russia and some form of sanctions, economic difficulties could be placed on ukraine if it went ahead with that e.u. agreement. these issues, crimea in the east of the country and closer integration with europe that's going to

ukrainian president petro poroshenko is calling it an act of terrorism and promises an adequate response. counting begins after polls close in afghanistans runoff election to decide who will succeed president hamid karzai. and group c kicks off at the world cup. with the 3-0 win of colombia over greece. chancellor angela merkel and french president francois hollande say they are extremely worried about the ongoing violence in ukraine. the two european leaders expressed their concern over a phone call with vladmir putin. the ministry confirmed pro russians rebs shut down a military transport plane killing 49. president petro poroshenko condemned the downing of the play as a terrorist act and promised to deliver what he called an adequate response. >> the burntout haul of the plane, charred debris was scattered for hundreds of meters. rebel troops scoured the wreckage for ammunition and anything of use. the dead were comrades of these ukrainian soldiers, all belonging to a paratrooper company. the aircraft's nine-man crew also perished. there were no survivors. witnesses said the crew atte

separatists refused the call to lay down their arms in line with the peace plans outlined by president petro poroshenko. >> a chance to lay down their weapons or leave the country great ukraine's president announced a cease-fire plan wednesday that would give pro-russian separatists away out of the conflict in southeastern poroshenkord petro said the unilateral cease-fire could come into effect within days. >> on our side we will offer amnesty to those who surrender their weapons and did not commit horrendous crimes. >> poroshenko proposed the terms of the cease-fire after speaking with angela merkel and vladimir putin tuesday night, but his offer is senseless, according to the separatist leader who does not trust the ukrainian government to keep its word on amnesty. meanwhile, hundreds of coal miners gathered in the next -- in donetsk. >> we came here to speak out against the war. we want peace. we are sick of it. if they do not listen to us, then we will move to military action. and there will be no peaceful action anymore. the calls for cease-fire have not deterred fighting in eastern ukr

putin also spoke with petro poroshenko, the man due to be sworn in as ukraine's president, on saturday, a meeting brokered by angela merkel. ceasinceasing efforts to involve ukraine. a day of solemn ceremony and commemoration. mr. obama began the day withen frooblewith francois hollande. paid tribute to those who gave their all. >> whenever the world makes you cynical, whenever you doubt that courage and goodness is possible, stop and think of these men. >> u.s. officials regard both meetings, the obama, putin meeting and the putin-poroshenko meeting as hopeful, but they want to see more. mike viqueria, al jazeera america. >> jonathan betz joins us, jonathan. >> a lot of people counting on him he hasn't officially started yet but petro poroshenko was invited to d day ceremonies and got straight to work. it's hard to see and it was brief but remarkable nonetheless. the leaders of the russia and ukraine meeting for the first time since the conflict erupted. after months of fighting. >> russia needs to recognize that petro poroshenko is the legitimately elected leader of ukraine. >> says

. >> it's the first step in petro poroshenko's plan to put an end to the bloody conflict with pro-russian insurgents in the country's east. he has been visiting troops in the area where have made the announcement. the proposal includes amnesty for some separatists, but rebel leaders opposed the plan. >> there are other troubling developments according to the white house. it has more evidence of a buildup of russian forces on the border with ukraine. >> we'll hear from kiev in a moment, but first, this report on events in the east. >> people have been streaming to the train station, anxious to get a ticket out of town. they are scared they could soon become caught up in the fighting. >> where should i go? my sister lives in russia and invited me to come to her place. i could stay there for a month, but what what i do than? >> the army says several soldiers and 300 separatists have been killed in just two days in clashes in the donetsk region. the government insists its forces are making progress. >> i received the report of the commander of the armed forces of ukraine. our troops have comp

vladimir putin spoke with petro por shen skoe on the phone on tuesday. they spoke about a possible cease fire in european ukraine. the ukrainian government battled months of attacks from pro-russian forces across the southeast of the country. >>> three executions in 24 hours. convicted georgia killer given a lethal injection, and apologized to the family of the teenager he murdered. his execution was the first since the lethal injection of an oklahoma inmate went wrong in november. and john winfield was executed. and a third prisoner will be put to death in florida tonight despite claims he is mentally ill and intellectually disabled. >>> a new poll has the latest approval ratings for president obama and hillary clinton. just 37% of americans approve of the president's handling the foreign policy issues. that is an all-time low in the survey. meanwhile, the poll also shows americans are split over whether they want to see hillary clinton in the white house. 38% of registered voters said they would probably vote for her. you can see the poll on nbc news.c

petro porashenko spoke with russian president vladimir putin and the leaders of france and germany. also - three ukrainian soldiers were killed fighting with separatists in the east. residents themselves are caught in the middle of a battle. >> there are pockets of eastern ukraine where the extension to the ceasefires meant nothing. latest official army footage shows an exchange of fire north of slovyansk. the army patrol sped past an army checkpoint. the new commander here says he takes his orders from the russian known as igor, the military chief in slovyansk. deals proposed elsewhere do not concern him. >> translation: we have one boss, his command will be carried out. recording that, i'm a military man, i don't get into politics. >> in this part of the world the separatist command structure is a patchwork of different authorities. cease fires proposed are rejected and ignored by separatist militia leaders in slovyansk. we heard artillery fire while we've been standing here. finding piece means resolving rivalries. all of which leaves residents caught in the crossfire. many have

presidenthe ukrainian petro poroshenko announced his forces, which have been gaining ground, will nowease-fire for a week. flores, turning up at the headquarters of the military operations in the east. the is offering greater autonomy, but in return is asking the rebels to give up their weapons. the death toll had been rising steeply. paused this weeks to return dead bodies under a flag of truce. but despite the heavy losses, immediatelys rejected the cease-fire offer, so the drift towards humanitarian crisis will continue. the rebels most fortified town has no running water and no electricity. donetsk, incaped to a dormitory, but many remained behind. everybody is saying we are going to die here, she told me. they shouldn't be dying. they should all leave. ukraine is at a fork in the road. tonight, there is a chance for peace, but it could still slide further into a bitter war. daniel sandford, abc news, then donetsk. bbc news, >> at the world cup, costa rica has been italy 1-0 to secure their progress to the next round. costa rica' of the four-time world cup winners means they are i

petro poroshenko is the new president.e asked ukrainians about their expectations of him. >> "expectations" is the wrong word. look around this country -- we've hit bottom. the situation is so grim that nobody can have expectations for any one man. we all of us together shoulder to shoulder have to do our bit for the future of ukraine. >> poroshenko belongs to a new generation of politicians. i hope he is a ukrainian patriot. i hope we will pull together as ukrainians to make our country flourish. so far, the country is not flourishing. ukrainians are struggling to make ends meet. >> my hope is that it creates jobs for us so that no one has to flee the country just to earn money, to russia or the czech republic or italy. >> ukraine is a country being torn apart. every day, there are new victims of the battles between pro-russian separatists and ukrainian troops in eastern ukraine. >> we have to stop playing games in the east. the president must defeat and destroy the terrorist. >> so that we can finally sleep easily at nig

petro poroshenko won with nearly 55% of the vote. the president-elect is already scheduled to meet with world leaders. on wednesday, he will join u.s. president barack obama in warsaw. the trouble in ukraine's eastern regions will likely be at the top of the agenda. on monday a group of pro-russian rebels clashed with ukraine's border guards in luhansk. both sides said five militants were killed. in the same region, local media said at least seven people were killed in an explosion at a government building. for months, russian leaders blocked any security council action on ukraine. but now, a russian ambassador has called for an emergency meeting at the conference. he introduced a draft resolution. it requests humanitarian corridors and a cease-fire. >> there are going to be more casualties, more hostilities. so it's going to make the political dialogue in ukraine more difficult. >> reporter: but ukrainian and western leaders are skeptical about the proposal. >> the very fact that the resolution on ukraine is tabled by russian federa

vladimir putin meeting petro poroshenko for the first time of the sidelines of a french town. franÇois hollande chancellor angela merkel brought the men together. putin poroshenko shook hands and agreed to hold talks on a cease-fire in the coming days. away from the cameras inside the normandy chÂteau, another unexpected meeting. putin speaking to barack obama for the first time since russia annexed the crimean peninsula in march. according to diplomatic officials, the two leaders spoke of the need to end violence as quickly as possible. putin claiming he could have a certain but not total influence over events in ukraine's east. against a backdrop of tension, thisay began with seemingly avoiding each other. they attended separate dinners in paris to keep believers apart, but on friday, a hint as to renewed relations made television screens -- clinton and obama sharing a smile at the commemoration ceremony in obamady -- putin and sharing a smile at the commemoration ceremony in on the. >> the man tapped to be the next president of afghanistan narrowly escaped an assassination

. >> after consultations with russia and germany, ukrainian president petro poroshenko announced a plan to end fighting in the east. he promised a unilateral cease-fire. >> i can say that the period of the cease-fire will be rather short. we anticipate that immediately after this, the disarming of the illegal military formations will take place. >> but russian foreign minister lavrov compared the plan to ethnic cleansing, saying the cease-fire did not take separatists immense into account and was only intended to drive them out of eastern territories. separatists have also rejected the cease-fire, calling it a boy to disarm them. >> to afghanistan now, where a runoff presidential vote is being cast into doubt even before the result is made official. >> that's because one of the candidates has broken off ties with the election commission, saying the preliminary numbers do not add up. >> the controversy is a major setback for many afghans who had hoped for a clear front runner in this second round. >> afghans had hoped this election would bring peace and stability, but a dispute over vote

. >> petro porashenko will send more soldiers here, that's why i'll leave the city. i think it will be bad here. maybe worse than in slovyansk. >> i feel sorry for both sides. i'm a mother. i have children. it's impossible. we need to stop it. something needs to be done. >> reporter: lugansk is vital to the separatists and the ukranian army. it's 60km to the border. fighters transition here to reach the strong holds the the ukranian army claims to have lugansk surround it. troops are 10km from the city center. >> on the front lines of the separatist militia there's no willingness to surrender. for president petro porashenko, unless they do before friday, he'll eliminate them. there's a showdown looming. in their cramped base office the city's red cross volunteers prepare as best they can. sorting bandages and drugs, trying to keep the local hospital stocked with essentials. >> distribution is normally a process for the red cross in lugansk. for the moment they are having to ration the supplies they hand out because they do not want to run out of critical supplies. sp

in a statement president petro porashenko said he may have to end the ceasefire early. is it possible to make a ceasefire work when the pro-russian separatists seem to be not unified and battling among themselves? >> well, it's difficult, but you have a situation where both sides are talking to each other. in fact, a lot of people are talking now, were not talking before. that's a good sign. it's not unusual to have a ceasefire where people don't cease firing where some shooting conditions. it takes one rocket to take down a helicopter, which is what happened yesterday. i think that there is some hope that they will advance the ball a little bit in the negotiations, but it will be a long process, and there'll be a lot of setbacks and a lot of sure. >> what about advancing the ball when it comes to russia? you crania and the west accuse the russians of supplying the separatists with weapons and fighters. moscow denied that. how much control does vladimir putin have over the guys, and could he end it tomorrow if he wanted to? >> yes, he could end it tomorrow if he wanted

were held while floor cheese for two days had been heading to the capital kiev to cover president petro poroshenko is in operation when they were stopped all their credit stations reportedly in. this is just the latest case of russian journalists being harassed and detained in ukraine last month another two russians are working with media outlets were also apprehended by the national guard their whereabouts were are known for almost a week before they were released. i mean all five civilians including a child have reportedly been killed in a heavier tillery fire in the eastern ukrainian city of slavyansk a mortar shells and grenades slammed into residential areas damaging entire buildings as you can see here in the video that we're showing you now the attack comes just a day after the new president was sworn in petro poroshenko pledged to use force to keep ukraine together we spoke to some people who were there when the bombardment to place but first here's artie's ruptly correspondent reporting from the area that's been hit. when i approached a building that also served as a local cult

petro poroshenko. solidarity is needed in a particular way for the ukrainian nation, the nation that is facing the threat of aggression and immense challenges with modernization. there is no freedom without solidarity with ukraine. for that reason, i am extending my warmest thanks to the leaders .f the free world presence as ar source of joy, your presence here in front of a castle raised from rubble substantiates the continues toreedom move our hearts and minds. it associates the convictions that the defense of freedom remains the source of our solidarity. thank you. >> the president of the united states, barack obama. warsaw., polish]g mr. president, mr. prime minister, madam mayor, heads of state and government past and present, including the man who jumped that shipyard wall to lead a strike that became a movement, the prisoner turned president who transformed this nation, thank you, like walesa alesa, for your outstanding leadership. distinguished guests, people of poland. thank you for your extra

president petro porashenko ordered his soldiers to fire back if attacked. the announcement came hours after a military helicopter was shot down. all nine on board were killed. 920 died in violence in the east in the past two months. >>> n.a.t.o. foreign ministers are meeting in brussels for diplomacy talks. the military alliance says it will review its relationship with russia, which is accused of being behind armed groups in the east. in a moment we'll speak to our cropping at the talk in -- correspondent at the talk in brussels, first to paul brennan in donetsk. are we in danger of seeing the ceasefire breaking? >> well, the ceasefire has been under strain, never to the extent of the last 24 hours. indiscipline is excusable given what is happening in the front lines, but the separatist hot bed has been a problem area, and the downing of a helicopter not by small arms fire, but a deliberate act of a rocket launcher or missile, that cannot be pushed away or excused as a drunken mistake by a junior officer on the front line. it was a decision that had been m