After visiting Adviivka in the Donbas, the US State Department’s special representative on Ukraine, Kurt Volker called Ukraine a “flourishing state” which is undergoing a terrible tragedy. He called the conflict in Eastern Ukraine a “hot war”.

“Our primary task is to restore the integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine. As I understood, this is not a frozen conflict, but a hot war. And the cost is dangerously high – human lives,” the press center  of the Ukrainian Armed Forces cited Volker as saying on its Facebook page.

The special representative of the State Department stressed that he came to the Donbas to personally assess the details of the conflict. He noted that he “heard people’s tragedies” and “saw violations”. After the visit to Ukraine he is planning to have several meetings with representatives of European countries in order to consolidate the position on the Donbas with allies.

Volker placed responsibility for the conflict on Russia. “We understand how this conflict began, we understand who is controlling this, and that’s why it’s important for the US to be more involved in its resolution,” the diplomat observed.

The US State Department official delegation headed by Volker visited Avdiivka on Sunday. The delegation included US Ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch, the embassy’s military attaché Colonel Paul Schmidt, and the high ranking State Department official. In the Donbas the delegation met with Ukrainian soldiers, city administration and local residents who had suffered as a result of the combat.

  Donbas, US State Department, Russia

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