Poroshenko: greater risk of open war with Russia now

In an interview with the German newspaper Bild published on February 3, Poroshenko said Russia had implemented "not one single point" of the Minsk accords, a cease-fire and peace plan aimed at resolving the war in eastern Ukraine. "Instead, we can see 8,000 Russian soldiers with Russian commanders in our country, new military sites directly along the border, and constant military trainings," said Poroshenko, who met German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Berlin on February 1.  "Russia is investing a lot in these war preparations." Berlin is growing increasingly suspicious that Russia is trying to cause trouble in Germany to try to weaken Merkel, who has taken a tough line on Moscow after it annexed Crimea in March 2014. "Now Putin has opened an information war against Germany as well," Poroshenko said.