Contents tagged with Donbas
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US demands that separatists allow OSCE access to weapons storage facilities
The US representative to the OSCE, Daniel Baer, called for the immediate withdrawal of heavy weapons from the territories controlled by separatists in eastern Ukraine.
At a meeting of the OSCE Permanent Council in Vienna, the representative said that the OSCE observers reported no decrease in the arsenal of heavy weapons in Luhansk, "including tanks, howitzers, armored vehicles and anti-aircraft surface-to-air systems," Ukrinform reported.
According to the OSCE mission in eastern Ukraine, …
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Steinmeier: the Minsk Agreements are being implemented at a snail’s pace
The head of the German Foreign Ministry believes that the diplomatic efforts of France and Germany were instrumental in prevention of a war in Europe.
At the same time the progress in the implementation of the Minsk Agreements is comparable to a snail's pace. According to the press service of the Foreign Ministry of Germany, this was stated by the German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier on the eve of the twelfth meeting of the Normandy Four.
Steinmeier fears that the work on the …
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The OSCE is ready to send armed observers to the Donbas
The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) is open to sending armed personnel to eastern Ukraine if this proposal is agreed to by all parties. This was declared by the Secretary General of the OSCE, Lamberto Zannier.
The organization is currently supervising a fragile ceasefire between Ukrainian forces and rebels in Donbas.
Comments made by Zannier reflect the extent of the danger that the current unarmed observers are exposed to while monitoring the ceasefire. He says …
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OSCE: Military parades in Donetsk and Luhansk violated the Minsk Agreements
The OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine stated that the presence of heavy weaponry in Luhansk and Donetsk during Victory Day parades is a violation of the Minsk Agreements, as reported on Facebook page of the Special Monitoring Mission.
“The SMM was entrusted with the task of monitoring the implementation of the ceasefire and other provisions of the Minsk Agreements, including the withdrawal of weapons. In this case, the presence of heavy weaponry in Luhansk and Donetsk during the …
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Ukrainian Armed Forces: The situation in the Donbas continues to deteriorate
The headquarters of the Ukrainian Armed Forces announced that the situation in the Donbas has deteriorated significantly over the last several days, Glavnoe reported.
“Yesterday, pro-Russian gangs opened fire on the positions of the Ukrainian defenders 15 times,” the headquarters wrote on Facebook.
It was reported that Ukrainian positions near Avdiivka were attacked by separatists using rocket propelled grenades and small arms.
According to the Ukrainian headquarters, separatists also …
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Washington: The majority of ceasefire violations in the Donbas occur on the territory of separatists
The OSCE confirms that the majority of ceasefire violations in eastern Ukraine occur on the territory that is under the separatists’ control, the Unites States Deputy Secretary of State, Antony Blinken stated.
The U.S Ambassador to Ukraine, Geoffrey Pyatt, quoted Blinken on Twitter as saying that the “OSCE confirms that the majority of ceasefire violations in eastern Ukraine occur on the territory that is under separatists’ control.” The White House press service also quoted Blinken as saying …
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Kuchma: There cannot be elections in the Donbas until the Minsk Agreements are implemented
The second President of Ukraine and the representative of Ukraine in Trilateral Contact Group, Leonid Kuchma, reiterated that elections cannot be held in the self-proclaimed Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics until the Minsk Agreements are implemented.
During an interview with journalists in Kiev, Kuchma highlighted the need to come to a resolution on the issue of security, Interfax-Ukraine reported.
“I stated at the last meeting of the Trilateral Contact Group that the talks about some …
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Ex-governor of the Luhansk region says there is a plan for the 'deoccupation of the Donbas'
In an interview with Hromadske Radio, the Deputy Minister for the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine and the former head of administration for Luhansk, Georgiy Tuka, said that he has not ruled out the possibility of trade with the so-called Donetsk People's Republic and Luhansk People's Republic.
“There are two opposite points of view, of which the first is fencing off areas with barbed wire. This however is absolutely destructive. The population will mentally distance itself from …
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Aksyonov: Crimea morally supports separatists in eastern Ukraine
The head of Russian-Crimea, Sergey Aksyonov, said the inhabitants of the occupied peninsula "morally support" the separatists in eastern Ukraine.
Aksyonov stated the Crimea is ready to cooperate with the separatists in the Donbas, Glavnoe reported.
"All of the unrecognized state formations of the former Soviet Union clearly gravitate towards Russia. Holding a referendum, collecting signatures, dreaming of joining the group. Transnistria, South Ossetia, Abkhazia, the Republic of Novy Rossiya, …
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OSCE reiterates that military parades in the Donbas on May 9th will violate the Minsk Agreements
The OSCE has once again stressed that the presence of heavy weapons during military parades in Donetsk and Luhansk on May 9th will be a violation of the Minsk Agreements, Interfax-Ukraine reported.
According to Alexander Hug, the Deputy Chief Monitor of the OSCE's Special Monitoring Mission in Ukraine, "historical heritage is important, but [the presence of] heavy weapons in the cities of Luhansk and Donetsk is a violation of Minsk and a threat to the people".
As previously reported, on April …