Ukraine Urges World to Continue to Pressure Russia
The press service of Ukraine’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs released a statement on Monday to urge other nations to continue to pressure the Russian Federation on the Donbas situation.
"We call upon our international partners not to yield to the deceptive maneuvers of the Russian aggressor, who constantly demonstrates a striking discrepancy between their rhetoric and real actions. Political pressure on the Russian Federation and the use of diplomatic tools and sanctions are critical to return the Kremlin to the international legal process,” the press service stated.
The Foreign Ministry noted that despite another ceasefire agreement, which was achieved during the last meeting of the Trilateral Contact Group, the attacks continue.
"On January 17th, in the daytime alone, separatists carried out 48 attacks on ATO positions and civilian structures. On January 16th there were 36 attacks. On January 15th there were 40. In addition to small arms, separatists used 82mm and 120mm mortars, grenade launchers, anti-aircraft guns and BMP armaments. One particularly defiant act was the deliberate attack on an OSCE special monitoring mission transport on January 16th,” the Ministry reported.
Ukraine believes that the nature and circumstances of such actions "testify to their careful land leveling. Not only do they undermine the essence, logic and sequence of the Minsk agreements, they also negate all efforts by Ukraine and the international community aimed at restoring peace and stability. In fact they make impossible the implementation of the political part of the peace settlement.”
Ukrainian diplomats drew the international community's attention to the further evidence of "conscious disregard by Russia of the Minsk agreements and its full responsibility for the situation in certain districts of Donetsk and Lugansk regions.”
"Due to the deliberate policy of the Kremlin we have to state that nearly a year after a complex of measures on implementation of the Minsk agreements, the situation in eastern Ukraine remains extremely fragile and is far from restoring the peace, security and livelihoods of victims of the terrorist regions,” the Ministry declared.